Manchester's 22 public libraries are again open as free Warm Welcome Spaces this winter, where anyone can come in, sit somewhere warm and stay as long as they like, Secret Manchester has reported.

According to Secret Manchester, the scheme started in October and runs until February 2027, with every public library in the city taking part. A Manchester City Council report on the library service says all its libraries act as warm spaces, with free hot drinks, a warm place to stay and extra support, from October to February each year.

Secret Manchester lists what visitors can expect: comfortable, age-friendly seating, free self-service hot drinks at most branches, and staff who can point people towards council services and support agencies. Manchester Libraries says its branches also offer free Wi-Fi, internet access and newspapers, and asks visitors who can afford it to put a donation in the box for the hot drinks.

Families with young children can go to an under-5s story time, held once a week at 11am. The day differs from branch to branch, so it is worth checking with your local library first.

The Manchester libraries are part of a national network of Warm Welcome Spaces. Secret Manchester reports that more than 6,000 venues are now registered and that warm spaces across the UK recorded about 3.5 million visits over the 2025/26 winter. When the council launched last year's scheme in October 2025, it said Manchester's libraries had received roughly 925,000 visits between November and February the winter before.

You can find your nearest Warm Welcome Space on the Warm Welcome map, and opening details for each branch are in the council's library directory.

Sources: Secret Manchester; Manchester City Council, Manchester Libraries Update; Manchester Libraries Blog, Warm Spaces in Libraries across Manchester; Manchester City Council, 20 October 2025; Warm Welcome. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.