Manchester’s iconic Central Library and Town Hall are set to close to the public this summer while major investment work takes place.
The community hubs in the heart of the city centre welcome hundreds of people through their doors each week, but this August, the Central Library and Town Hall Extension will be closed temporarily for several weeks with no access for staff or the public, as the replacement and upgrade of ICT networks and Wi-Fi systems are due to take place.
The ICT project will update the Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), ensuring that the Central Library and the Town Hall Extension have a flexible ICT network providing ‘seamless connectivity’.
📌Central Library will be closed for 3 weeks from 2 –24 August, as we get to work on an exciting upgrade to the building’s Wi-Fi.
Once complete you’ll have a faster, more reliable Wi-Fi connection for work, studying, socialising and more. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/pmHqRvEwL9
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
During these upgrades, there will be no ICT network access available, which means no connectivity for laptops, PCs, printers, and other digital infrastructure.
Central Library and the Town Hall Extension are to be closed for three weeks from 2 – 24 August.
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In the meantime, Manchester‘s 21 other local libraries – all of which have already had successful LAN and Wi-Fi network updates – will be open as usual providing PCs, book lending, and study space for the public to make use of.
On top of this, staff hours will be increased in nine key libraries in the Manchester region.
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Staff will be at Central Library entrances throughout the closure to support visitors and signpost to alternative libraries, places to sightsee, meet or enjoy a coffee in the city.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
Staff will also be on hand at Central Library entrances to advise people of the closure and signpost them to alternative libraries.
“Although there is never a good time to shut Manchester Central Library, we cannot move forward in updating the network without this necessary closure,” commented Councillor John Hacking, who is the Executive Member for Skills, Employment, and Leisure at Manchester City Council.
“I can assure people that we will be working at pace to bring a better and faster Wi-Fi provision for our customers when we reopen.”
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The Strokes announce first Manchester gig in two decades
Daisy Jackson
The Strokes are finally set to return to Manchester for the first time in years, announcing a huge arena show today.
The iconic indie rockers have shared details of a new European tour, which includes a night at the massive Co-op Live arena here in Manchester.
The news comes hot off the heels of their celebrated Coachella set over the weekend.
The Reality Awaits Tour, named after their upcoming seventh studio album, will take The Strokes to Manchester as well as London and Newcastle, plus several cities across Europe.
The Strokes broke into the industry back in 2001 with their seminal debut album Is This It, which spawned massive indie anthems like Last Nite, Hard To Explain, and Sometimes.
Since then, they’ve released six studio albums, all of which have climbed into the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart.
You can expect to hear all sorts of fan favourites, like Reptilia, Juicebox, and You Only Live Once, plus new music including their latest single The New Abnormal.
Co-op Live said: “This is set to be an unmissable show as they come to Co-op Live for the first time and we can’t wait!”
Last time The Strokes played in Manchester, it was at the O2 Apollo way back in 2006 – the same year they supported Foo Fighters at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
They played Lytham Festival more recently, but haven’t ventured back into Manchester itself since.
The Strokes will play at Co-op Live in Manchester on 26 October 2026.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday 17 April HERE, with a number of pre-sales beginning from Wednesday 15 April.
Manchester Museum to close much-loved section for ‘major’ £200k redevelopment
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has announced that it’s planning to close of its best-loved exhibitions.
Thanks to a grant of £200,000 from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, Manchester Museum is planning a major redevelopment of its much-loved Vivarium.
The Vivarium has sat at the heart of Manchester Museum for more than 60 years, and is a centre for globally-significant conservation projects, caring for around 30 different amphibian and reptile species – many of which are critically endangered – in a bid to inspire generations of visitors.
Thanks to a pioneering partnership with Panama Wildlife Conservation Charity, which is just one of many projects designed to safeguard the future of endangered species and develop learning programmes that raise awareness of threats to biodiversity, Manchester Museum houses the world’s only captive ‘back-up’ population – which is why the redevelopment of the Vivarium is so important.
The funding grant will help to ‘revitalise’ public displays, and create new state-of-the art facilities and bespoke naturalistic environments for the amphibian and reptile species cared for by the Vivarium.
It will also allow the development of dedicated facilities for schools, teaching, and visiting tour groups, which the Museum hopes will ‘further enhance’ the gallery’s potential for learning.
During the redevelopment – which has been named the ‘Habitats of Hope’ project – new permanent displays will also be created that explore the connections between its wider collections and the animals it cares for.
Manchester Museum is set to close one of its much-loved sections for ‘major’ £200k redevelopment / Credit: Supplied
“Habitats of Hope speaks to how wonderful and how vulnerable the world’s rarest amphibians are” commented Georgina Young, who is the Head of Collections and Exhibitions at Manchester Museum.
“Major investment means Manchester Museum can match the highest standards of animal care with a more accessible visitor experience, while weaving stories of research, conservation, partnership and action that stretch from thriving ponds in Manchester to hyper-biodiverse ecosystems in Costa Rica and Panama.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th June 2025 
