You can also buy the latest dance floor and street fashions from young designers and second-hand stalls at the fascinating Affleck's Palace arcade. The city centre is alive with cultural attractions. It has six theatres, cinemas, several art galleries and museums featuring everything from dinosaur skeletons to stream trains and textiles. Among the cinemas, the independent Cornerhouse presents a wide range of main stream and international films. Manchester theatrical history is long and rich.
Today there are six professional theatre venues in the city and others in the suburbs.
Generally the unique Royal Exchange Theatre presents plays, the Palace and Opera House stage shows, and alternative cabaret occurs at the Green Room. Sport Besides music, sport is Manchester's other famous export. The city's sporting facilities are second to none and are set to expand in the next few years in advance of the Commonwealth Games , which will be held here in 2002. The National Cycling Stadium is well established and work has already begun on the construction of an athletics stadium and a world-class swimming pool, which should be completed by September 2000. For those who prefer to play rather than watch there are some excellent city centre sports facilities to supplement our own extensive range.