Queer Art and Creative Spaces in Manchester
Studio Dawn
Self Care | Beginner Friendly | Creative Workshops
🖌️STUDIO DAWN
Queer & Female-Owned Creative Studio
📍 MediaCityUK, Salford
Studio Dawn is your local self-care sanctuary in the heart is MediaCityUK, Salford. A queer & female owned creative space hosting a wide range of beginner-friendly creative workshops to provide a slice of self-care when you need it. Studio Dawn is also your one-stop-shop for self-care staples, with the shop offering a wide variety of craft kits, hand-crafted homewares, plants, eco-refills and self-care treats!
🏳️🌈 A space to slow down, get creative, and feel held.
🎨 Vibe: nurturing, crafty, and joyfully queer.
📅 Don’t miss their cosy workshops, seasonal markets & self-care socials.
- Opening hours:
- TUE-FRI 12-5pm
- SAT 10-5pm
- SUN 11-5pm
Manchester Queer Art Market
Queer Art Market highlighting LGBTQ+ creatives!
Manchester Queer Art Market
Queer Art Market highlighting LGBTQ+ creatives!
what is manchester’s Queer art market?
- A not‑for‑profit marketplace founded in 2022 by queer artists Ben Saunders and Ben Hodges to create an inclusive, judgment-free space for Northern queer makers
- Hosted quarterly (and sometimes monthly) at venues like Feel Good Club, The Proud Place, and Queer Lit.
- Welcomes 20–30+ stallholders each event—offering art, crafts, zines, hand-poke tattoos, workshops, interactive experiences, and more
💬 Community & Atmosphere
- Creators describe the atmosphere as relaxed, welcoming, and positive—a stark contrast to typically “intimidating” mainstream markets.
- Stallholders often share that attendees find it a safe space to be themselves, and many leave significantly impacted by the community vibe
📅 Upcoming Markets
- Next market listed: Sunday 29th June, across two floors with 20+ queer artists, plus free tea & coffee
- Events are shared via their Instagram @mcrqueerartmarket — including stallholder applications and creative workshops (e.g. pendant‑making)
Why It Matters for McQ
Manchester Queer Art Market is a perfect example of what McQ stands for: community‑driven, trans‑inclusive, and expanding queer visibility beyond nightlife. It directly supports queer makers, highlights grassroots creativity, and builds chosen family in physical space.
🔗 Want to get involved or check it out?
- Follow @mcrqueerartmarket on Instagram for event announcements, stallholder calls, and behind‑the‑scenes updates.
- Support by attending, shopping queer art, or applying to be a stallholder.
- Collaborate—if you run a queer venue, creative collective, or want to host a market, reach out (founders are actively working with venues like Feel Good Club & The Proud Place)
Manchester LGBT+ Heritage Trail
A Walk Through Queer History
Manchester LGBT+ Heritage Trail
A Walk Through Queer History
what is the LGBT+ Heritage Trail?
The Manchester LGBT+ Heritage Trail is a powerful reminder that queer people have always been here — shaping the city’s streets, culture, and radical spirit.
Launched in 2005, the trail features over 20 rainbow-tiled markers across central Manchester, each celebrating a moment, place, or figure important to the city’s LGBTQIA+ past. From groundbreaking protests to underground clubs, the trail brings visibility to histories that were too often hidden.
Highlights include:
- Canal Street — once the heart of secret queer nightlife, now a symbol of survival and celebration.
- The New Union Hotel — a historic pub and one of the longest-running gay venues in the UK.
- The Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Gardens — honouring the gay codebreaker whose life and legacy changed the world.
- The Lesbian & Gay Centre (now The Proud Place) — the first publicly funded LGBTQ+ centre in Europe.
The trail helps us honour the activists, artists, and everyday queers who made space for us today. It’s not just about remembering — it’s about reclaiming.
🗺️ Want to explore it yourself?
You can find maps online, or simply look down for the rainbow mosaics next time you’re in the Village or city centre.
✨ McQ recommends: Pair the trail with a visit to The Proud Place, Queer Lit, or Feel Good Club for a full day of queer history and community.
The Rainbow Arts Trail
Free public art trail across Manchester connecting queer art
THE RAINBOW ARTS TRAIL
free public art trail across Manchester connecting queer artworks, murals, poems, and installations.
what is the rainbow arts trail?
A free, city-wide public art trail launched in May 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the LGBT Foundation. Curated in collaboration with Barefoot Wine and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this trail brings together works from 30+ LGBTQ+ artists—inscriptions of hope, joy, protest, and pride gracing murals, poems, photographs, sound pieces, and installations
Where to Find It:
Dotted across Piccadilly Station and Bridge, Piccadilly Place, Kampus Garden, The Gay Village, St Peter’s Square (adjacent to Manchester Art Gallery), and other central Manchester spots
Featured Mediums & Artworks:
- Photography & Illustration: Uplifting visuals at Piccadilly Place (e.g. Scot Cunningham’s film‑quote posters)
- Poetry & Prose: Intimate poetic works by Kay Fulbrook, Lynne Jones, and Chloe Roberts displayed at Velvet Hotel and throughout the Village
- Sound Installations: Site‑specific audio pieces that add immersive depth to the trail experience
- Public Murals & Sculptural Works: Including Jenny Leonard’s timeline artworks in Kampus Garden and Devon Short’s “Living Scars” on the Richmond Tea Rooms railings
Why It Matters:
- Visibility & Celebration: A bold, tactile reclaiming of public space with queer art that breaks through everyday routines and celebrates queer narratives.
- Community-Led: Each artwork reflects lived experience—from trans joy to protest, intimacy, resistance, and everyday love.
- Accessible & Engaging: Free to explore from May–September, supported by downloadable trail maps, QR-linked contextual content, and a virtual Google Arts & Culture version
Visitor Info:
- Dates: 17 May – 1 September 2025 (citywide)
- Trail Map: Available via LGBT Foundation’s website and Google Arts & Culture/StoryMap interactive versions
- Social Tags: Share your journey with #RainbowArtsTrail and #LGBTFoundation50
Hadrian’s Lover
a queer cultural venue in the making—rooted in tenderness, creativity, and collective empowerment.
HADRIAN’S LOVER
a queer cultural venue in the making—rooted in tenderness, creativity, and collective empowerment.
what is HADRIAN’S LOVER?
A queer-owned, community-focused initiative set to become a café-bar-meets-arts-space in the heart of Manchester. Currently in development, Hadrian’s Lover is a love letter to queer joy, resistance, and radical connection. Through curated events, artistic expression, and a deep commitment to intersectional inclusion, we’re building a cultural hub where LGBTQIA+ voices are not just heard—but celebrated.
Where to Find It:
Launching as a permanent venue in Manchester soon—until then, catch us at local pop-ups, fundraisers, creative collabs, and community gatherings across the city. Follow our journey on Instagram
Featured Events & Experiences:
Queer Literary & Performance Nights:
Poetry readings, spoken word, and storytelling that centre queer voices—from sapphic sensuality to trans poetics and protest
Drag, DJs & Dance Revivals:
Inclusive club nights, drag happenings, and experimental soundscapes curated by and for the community
Art & Dialogue Salons:
Workshops, panels, and installations exploring queer histories, futures, and cultural memory—intersectional and intergenerational
Café-Bar & Creative Co-Creation:
Day-to-night vibes—sip, sketch, write, organise, dream. Hadrian’s Lover is designed as a place for both nourishment and transformation
Why It Matters:
For Us, By Us: A radical reimagining of queer space—intimate, electric, ever-evolving, and always welcoming
Rooted in Justice: A platform for underrepresented creatives, voices, and communities often left out of mainstream queer venues
More Than Nightlife: Hadrian’s Lover is about sustainable joy—a home for collaboration, growth, and rest as much as celebration
Coming Soon:
Launch Date: TBA – follow @hadrianslover_mcr for updates
In the Meantime: Join our pop-up events across Manchester + contribute to our journey via donations, collaborations, and community support
Social Tags: Share your love with #HadriansLover and #QueerJoyMCR
Got a Queer Business or Event in Manchester?
Help us grow the community!
Submit your LGBTQ+ friendly business, event, or space to be featured on our site — and connect with queer folks across the city.
Share your info with us today!
Let’s build a stronger, brighter queer Manchester — together.