Summer at Aviva Studios

Factory Square filled with people sat on the grass and deckchairs, drinking and chatting. The sun is shining.
Date
2 Jul - 6 Sep 2026
Venue
Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ

Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access

Ai Weiwei takes over Aviva Studios with Button Up! – plus summer activities, music, Pride celebrations and family fun

This summer, explore a major new exhibition from the world-leading artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Monumental in scale and ambition, Button Up! is the artist’s most expansive presentation in the North to date.

Alongside Button Up!, Ai Weiwei re-enacts his secret detention for the first time in Sewing a Button – an unflinching 24-hour live performance. In our Social Teahouse, enjoy wraparound activities for the whole family.

Celebrate Pride with Liberation Pride Pageant and SINcerely, Adam – an evening of films, talks and music spotlighting queer North African stories.

Plus, enjoy all the usual dance takeovers, food markets and craft workshops in our sunny square.

Keep checking back for more events coming soon!

Ai Weiwei: Button Up!

Ai Weiwei's Law of the Journey artwork, showing a crowd of people surrounding a huge, inflatable migrant boat in a big warehouse
2 JULY – 6 SEPTEMBER | History, power and empire collide in Button Up! – a major new exhibition from the world-leading artist and activist Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei: Sewing a Button

Black-and-white image of Ai Weiwei sitting on a chair beside a simple metal bed against a brick wall.
3 – 4 JULY | Ai Weiwei re-enacts his secret detention in Sewing a Button – an unflinching 24-hour live performance

Related events

Music & Dance

Pride

Free Events

Explore

Read, watch and listen to find out more about our summer programme.

Editor in Residence | Zing Tsjeng

Zing's takeover draws on the unexpected confluences and solidarities between the ESEA and Irish diaspora living in the shadow of the British Empire
Headshot of Zing Tsjeng with a blurred glass building in the background

An introduction to Ai Weiwei

Meet Ai Weiwei – the art world’s biggest disrupter
Black and white photograph of Ai Weiwei stood in front of a bookshelf

10 Facts About... Ai Weiwei

10 Facts about Ai Weiwei – the world-famous artist and human rights activist
Ai Weiwei filming himself on a phone camera from above, next to a desk

Explore more content on Factory+

From video series and podcasts to artist experiments and virtual worlds, it’s all here at Factory+
Digital character standing in front of a mirror holding an axe

Access information

Getting to Aviva Studios

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Inside Aviva Studios

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The entrance to the Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Andrew Law Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Andrew Law Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

Toilets

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

Travel information

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

Train and tram

There are a number of rail and tram stations within the city centre which are just a short distance from Aviva Studios. The closest stations are:

By bike and active means

By Bike

There are 40 bike parking spaces at Aviva Studios including space for two accessible bikes.

National Cycling Route 6 passes close to the venue and this TfGM webpage can help with route planning.

You can also hire bikes from on-street docking stations across the city centre. The closest docking stations to our venue are currently on Deansgate by Liverpool Road and (400m from the building) and by King Street (500m from the building). Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.

By Walking and Other Active Means

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street via Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

If you're coming from Quay Street, the safest route to avoid construction works is via the cut-through opposite Gartside Street and past Booking.com.

All footways in the surrounding area are well lit and there are appropriate crossings across all main roads.

Pedestrians with visual impairment are recommended to approach the building via Water Street, from Liverpool Road. This route has traditional carriageway and footway design with fixed street furniture which should help with navigation to the entrance.

A footbridge at Left Bank in Spinningfields provides an accessible link across the River Irwell to Salford Central station, and a further footbridge also links Aviva Studios with the Salford area of Middlewood Locks.

Bus

Free bus

The free bus 1 service connects Piccadilly Station, Oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations, as well as other areas of the city centre to Aviva Studios.

The service stops on both Liverpool Road and Quay Street, close to the venue. Buses operate every 10 minutes during the day from Monday to Sunday and they are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus 1 route and timetable, please visit the Bee Network website.

Bee Network services

Piccadilly Gardens is situated in the heart of Manchester and there are a number of bus services that will take you on to Aviva Studios. The 33 bus which starts at Shudehill, calls at Piccadilly Gardens and will take you straight to Liverpool Road. Services operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sunday.

Alternatively, you can board either a 35, 36 or 38 bus to Bridge Street bus stop which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Coming into Manchester Victoria rail station? Head on over to Shudehill Interchange (which is a seven-minute walk via Hanover Street) where you can catch the 33 bus to Liverpool Road.

Alternatively, you can board either an 8, 67 or 100 bus from Manchester Victoria to Bridge Street bus stop, which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Car

There is a NCP car park (Manchester Spinningfields) approximately 0.25 miles (400m) away from Aviva Studios at Spinningfields, New Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3BE. It has 35 accessible bays.

There are a small number of Blue Badge spaces along Water St and Quay St. Otherwise head towards Liverpool Road, Great John St and Lower Byrom St – close to our neighbours, the Science and Industry Museum where there are a small number of additional Blue Badge spaces.

For a list of other parking bays available in the area, visit Manchester City Council website.

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