Location

The 10th RAI Festival will take place at the University of Manchester in the newly refurbished Martin Harris Building. This houses the Music and Drama discipline areas and is equipped with excellent facilities. The main entrance is on Coupland Street (at the back of the Manchester Museum) at the heart of the Owens Campus.

The principal Screenings and the Conference venue will be the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, seating approximately 300 people.

Other Screenings will be held in the John Thaw Theatre (approx. 150 seats) and the Bragg Theatre (approx. 100 seats) whilst panels and workshops will be distributed around other well-equipped seminar rooms in the building.

Additional facilities will also be available, including a VHS and DVD viewing facility, a display area for bookstalls and photographic exhibitions, and a café area serving tea and coffee, and lunch at appropriate times.

Travel

By Air

Manchester International Airport has direct flights to many major cities in Europe and on the eastern seabord of North America. Some cheap flight operators fly in to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which is only 35 miles/55 kms from Manchester and is connected by regular train and bus services.

By Train

Manchester is also regularly served by direct train services from London Euston operated by Virgin Trains. A cheap period return journey (known as a 'Saver Return') costs as little as £25 if booked sufficiently in advance. Otherwise, it will be around £57.10 or more. The journey takes approx 3 hours. For further information please visit the Virgin Trains website. Tickets booked on-line one or more weeks in advance tend to be considerably cheaper than those bought on the day at the station.

By Bus

Bus services tend to be cheaper than rail services, but also take longer.

By Car

There are two multistory carparks close to the Festival site. The closest is the University carpark, 2 minutes walk from the venue, and accessed through Booth St. West. A 5-10 minute walk away is the Aquatics Centre carpark, run by NCP and accessed through Booth St. East (see map).

On weekdays, the Aquatics Centre carpark is up to 35% cheaper, but at weekends, the University carpark is very much the cheaper of the two, being only £2 per day. Please note that both carparks open at 6 am but whilst the University carpark closes at midnight, the Aquatics carpark closes earlier, at 11pm. There are no 3 day or weekly rates.

Daily charges are as follows:

University Carpark

Up to 3 hours: £3
Up to 6 hours: £5
Up to 10 hours: £8
Up to 24 hours: £10
Sat & Sun: £2 per day

Aquatics Centre Carpark

Up to 2 hours: £2
Up to 4 hours: £3.50
Up to 10 hours: £5
Up to 24 hours: £7.50
Sat & Sun - same rates as weekdays

Disabled Access

The Martin Harris Centre is fully accessible. Limited parking for blue badge holders is available outside the entrance on Bridgeford Street.