Inside the magnificent Royal Exchange, a Grade II listed building with vast marble columns and Victorian glass domes, you’ll find something a little less expected: our seven-sided, tubular-steel, spaceship-like theatre. A place of possibility, where anything can happen.
Here, within the architecture of our home on St Ann’s Square, ideas, imagination, heritage, stories, people, perspectives, and potential, all gather.
Grab a coffee in our café-bar, have some lunch, sip a chilled beer, or simply find a little inspiration somewhere unexpected. Whether you’re here for a show, a good conversation, or a quiet moment to yourself, there’s room for it all.
And in this buzzing cultural hub for the city, you might just stumble across a rehearsal in full swing. Expect actors dashing about, sets being shifted, lights being focussed, costumes being set, as the creativity comes to life around you.
Welcome to the living Exchange.
Visiting Us FAQs
The Rivals Bar & Cafe
The Rivals Bar and Bar Exchange will both be open, serving a range of drinks including some new craft beers. Pre-order your interval drinks before the show starts to save time later on. And don’t forget that The Rivals Bar is still open after the show so why not enjoy a post-show drink with us.
The Rivals Café is also open every day (besides Sundays unless there is a show on) from 12 noon for hot drinks and snacks, including cakes, sandwiches, salads and delicious soups.
Please note – cold drinks are allowed into the module but must be transferred into our reusable eco-friendly plastic glasses (just please remember to return them!)
No glass or ceramic mugs/plates is allowed inside the auditorium and please do not take hot food or hot drinks into the auditorium for safety reason. Thank you.
What time should I arrive?
The theatre and café will be open from 12 noon, Monday – Saturday (& Sundays if there is a Sunday show), so feel free to arrive as early as you like and enjoy a drink and/or bit to eat before the show.
If you are coming to watch a show, we recommend arriving around half an hour before the show starts, which is also when the theatre auditorium opens and you’ll be able to take your seats.
Generally, evening performances start at 7.30pm and matinees start at 2.30pm. (ROAD and KING LEAR both start at 7pm and 2pm)
To check what time (and date) you have booked for, you can check your online account and once logged in, scroll down to the option ‘E-Tickets’ and all your current and past e-tickets will be here. If your tickets aren’t here or there is a problem downloading them, please contact our Visitor Experience Team.
Where is the nearest car park?
There are over 3000 car parking spaces within a 10 minute walk of the Theatre.
Car parks which are within easy distance of the theatre and offer late opening include:
- Our partnered car park – Q-Park Deansgate
(See below for more information. Please note, part of Deansgate has been pedestrianised so double check your route before leaving) - High Street multi-storey car park, above the Arndale Centre (1450 spaces)
Manchester Arena car park (1000 spaces)
Visit our FINDING US page for all the ways to get to the Royal Exchange.
Getting to the theatre
Our address is the Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester M2 7DH.
For information on public transport and parking, please see our How To Find Us page.
Coming into the building
Everyone is welcome at the Royal Exchange Theatre – whether you’re watching a show or just want to nip to the toilet, to simply gaining respite from the city centre.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink (there is free water available) and take in the awe of our spectacular Great Hall!
We have 2 entrances – Cross Street and St Ann’s Square – which will be open from 11am Monday – Saturday.
Both entrances require steps to access the Great Hall and there is a lift at the St Ann’s Square entrance.
Please note, the Great Hall will be closed when there is performance on but you are welcome to move into The Rivals Bar. There will also be occasions where there might be loud music and sounds in the Great Hall as we rehearse our productions.
We also have a cloakroom for bags and coats. It’s £1 per item with card payments only and please be aware that our security team may ask to check bags.
Toilets (including accessibility and baby-change facilities)
There are two sets of public toilets, including two sets of accessible toilets.
These are located in The Great Hall, either side of Bar Exchange. The male and female toilets are located up the stairs. There is an accessible toilet located on the ground floor. This toilet also contains baby change facilities.
There are gender neutral toilets and accessible toilets in the Studio foyer.
These toilets are labelled with the facilities available i.e. ‘four urinals and one cubicle’ and we ask visitors to use the facilities they prefer.
Can I bring my own food into the building?
Yes, with some exceptions. We ask that the café tables are left for those buying food/drink at the café, and that any hot/smelly/noisy food is not taken into the performance spaces.
Will the restaurant re-open?
We don’t currently have plans to re-open our restaurant.
A range of hot food, sandwiches and cakes are available from our café.
Can I come into the venue during the day?
Yes, we encourage people to come in and use our building during the day. Whether that’s to read a book, use the toilet, have a coffee with friends or even just find a quiet space in the city centre for a breather.
We also have a Lounge space with some comfy seating, books to read and some toys for younger ones.
We also have free WiFi – please search for ‘RET-Guest’. The password is: exchange2024
There may be occasions when access to the Great Hall is limited, either due to a matinee performance (usually Wednesday and Saturday afternoons), or a private function.
Do you have a defibrillator on site?
Yes, we have a defibrillator located at the Box Office. Please speak to a member of the Visitor Experience Team if you need it.
Have a ticketing query?
Get in touch
Have a query that's not listed? Our Visitor Experience Team are very happy to help.