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Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2026: dates, venue, and what to expect

Manchester School of Art is the art school at Manchester Metropolitan University, the largest art school in the north-west of England. Its 2026 Degree Show opens with a private view on Friday 5 June 2026 and runs publicly from Saturday 6 June to Friday 19 June 2026, spread across the Lowry, Chatham, Grosvenor, Righton, SODA, and MTC buildings on the Manchester Met campus.

At a glance

  • Show: Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2026
  • Private view: Friday 5 June 2026, from 5pm
  • Public run: Saturday 6 June to Friday 19 June 2026
  • Opening times: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm; Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm
  • Venues: Lowry, Chatham, Grosvenor, Righton, SODA, and MTC buildings on the Manchester Metropolitan University campus
  • Admission: Free
  • Closest stations: Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly. Trams at St Peter's Square and Deansgate-Castlefield.

Confirmation status: Dates and opening times confirmed by Manchester School of Art on the official Degree Show page.

When is the Manchester Degree Show 2026?

The 2026 show opens with a private view on Friday 5 June 2026 from 5pm, followed by a public run from Saturday 6 June to Friday 19 June 2026. The two-week run is one of the longer windows in the UK degree-show calendar.

Public hours:

  • Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 4pm
  • Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm

Last entry policies should be confirmed at the venue. Most Manchester School of Art buildings stop admitting visitors around 30 minutes before close.

Where to find it

The show is at Manchester Metropolitan University's All Saints Campus in central Manchester. Six campus buildings are used:

  • Lowry Building
  • Chatham Building
  • Grosvenor Building
  • Righton Building
  • SODA (School of Digital Arts)
  • MTC (Manchester Met Theatre Centre)

The campus is compact and the buildings are clustered around Cavendish Street, Higher Cambridge Street, and Oxford Road. Pick up a campus map at any reception when you arrive.

Getting there:

  • Rail: Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly are both 5 to 10 minutes walk.
  • Tram: St Peter's Square and Deansgate-Castlefield are within easy walking distance.
  • Bus: Multiple Magic Bus and Stagecoach routes serve Oxford Road.
  • Walk: From central Manchester, follow Oxford Road south.

Private view

The Manchester School of Art private view is on Friday 5 June 2026 from 5pm. Historically free and open to attend; check the Manchester School of Art events page closer to the date for any RSVP requirements.

The private view is one of Manchester's busier evenings of the cultural year. Expect alumni, north-west creative industry, and the wider Manchester art crowd in the courtyards.

Who is showing

The Manchester School of Art Degree Show is broad. Participating disciplines:

  • Art: Fine Art (Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Print)
  • Design: Graphic Design, Illustration with Animation, Three-Dimensional Design
  • Fashion: BA Fashion (with catwalk and presentations)
  • Digital Arts: BA Animation, BA Filmmaking, BA UX Design, BA Game Design (housed in SODA)
  • Performance
  • Architecture

Cohort sizes are not numerically published for 2026. Manchester School of Art is one of the largest cohorts in the UK, often above 1,000 graduating students across all programmes.

What makes Manchester School of Art distinctive

Two things.

First, scale. Manchester School of Art is one of the larger art and design schools in the UK by cohort, which gives the show more breadth than smaller institutions. You can spend a full day moving between buildings without seeing everything.

Second, digital arts depth. The School of Digital Arts (SODA) gives Manchester real strength in animation, game design, UX, and filmmaking. The SODA building is where the digital and screen-based work clusters during the show.

In recent years the school has used annual themes (2024 was "Bloom", 2025 also themed) which give the show a curatorial spine that most degree shows lack.

Tips for visiting

  • Plan around two of the six buildings. You won't see everything in one visit. Pick the disciplines you most want.
  • SODA for digital and screen-based work. Dedicated digital arts building, separate from the main fine art studios.
  • Pair with the Whitworth Art Gallery. Five minutes walk from campus and worth a separate trip.
  • Manchester Art Gallery and HOME are nearby for a longer Manchester art day.
  • Magic Bus routes are useful if you want to skip the walk between buildings.
  • Wednesday and Thursday afternoons are usually the calmest visit windows.

Are you a graduating Manchester School of Art artist?

If you are showing at the 2026 Degree Show and want a clean digital portfolio site that visitors can scan from the studio wall, build your Etch page in about 15 minutes. Free during the show and for thirty days after, mobile-first, with QR labels for the wall. Etch handles the checkout and payouts; you arrange collection or delivery with the buyer.

For pricing first works for sale, see how to price your degree-show artwork. For private view night logistics, see how to run a private view: the checklist.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2026? Public run: Saturday 6 June to Friday 19 June 2026. Private view: Friday 5 June from 5pm.

Is the show free? Yes. Free admission for both the private view and the public run.

Where is Manchester School of Art? On the Manchester Metropolitan University All Saints Campus, in central Manchester. The show is across six buildings: Lowry, Chatham, Grosvenor, Righton, SODA, and MTC.

What time does the show open? Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm. Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm.

Can I buy work at the Manchester Degree Show? Yes. Most graduating artists list work for sale.

Which courses show at Manchester School of Art? Art (Fine Art and specialisms), Design (Graphic, Illustration, 3D), Fashion, Digital Arts (Animation, Filmmaking, UX, Game Design via SODA), Performance, and Architecture.

Is Manchester School of Art the same as Manchester University? No. Manchester School of Art is part of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). The University of Manchester is a separate institution.

Sources

Last updated 1 May 2026. Compiled by Etch from official Manchester School of Art listings. If you spot something out of date, email hello@etchapp.art and we will correct it within 24 hours.