The combination of a city-wide treasure hunt for collectable coins, a series of inflatable artworks and a landmark theatre space can only mean one thing - Manchester International Festival is back. The world-famous biennial arts festival will kick off on June 29 and run until July 16, showcasing the best in new theatre, music, art and more in venues across the city.
The festival will also give people the chance to step inside Manchester's £210m arts centre, Factory International, as it hosts some of the events ahead of its official opening in October. A major exhibition of Yayoi Kusama’s inflatable sculptures will form a centrepiece of the festival, with the major exhibition 'You, Me and the Balloons' taking over the vast warehouse space.
Among the other big names debuting new work at MIF23 will be curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and footballer Juan Mata exploring art and the beautiful game, musicians and composers Alison Goldfrapp and Afrodeutsche, and award-winning photographer Benji Reid.
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Meanwhile, the all-new festival square outside Factory International will play host to 190 artists, bands, DJs and musicians over the course of the festival fortnight, with all the events free of charge and a host of food vendors keeping punters well fed. Highlights will include gigs from Manchester band A Certain Ratio, The Orielles and Dutch Uncles, as well as an ‘in conversation’ on-stage interview with Canadian artist Peaches.
What's on at Manchester International Festival 2023?
A major exhibition of Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama’s inflatable sculptures will be at the heart of the festival, with the major exhibition 'You, Me and the Balloons' taking over Factory International. American singer Janelle Monáe was scheduled to play a three-night residency as part of the festival, however the gig was cancelled just six weeks before she was due to headline the event due to "scheduling conflicts".
Elsewhere, and rooted in Manchester, there will be theatre, arts, dance and music in both indoor and outdoor locations, including a city-wide treasure hunt for collectable coins, a celebration of our connection to water over at Mayfield Park, and adaptation of a lost dystopian masterpiece in the depths of the John Rylands library by Maxine Peake.
Others debuting their work at MIF23 will be curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and footballer Juan Mata, who have collaborated on The Trequartista – Art and Football United , which brings together 11 contemporary artists and 11 footballers to produce new works inspired by the Trequartista, a legendary position and style in football.
See the full MIF23 programme here.
Where is Festival Square this year?
Festival Square, the food, drinks and music hub at the heart of the festival, will have a new home this year right next to the huge new Factory International arts venue, ahead of its official opening in October. The square's free open-air stage will host over 190 artists, bands, DJs and musicians all performing for free, as well as family entertainment and a wide variety of food and drink.
With over 150 artists in the line-up - many hailing from Greater Manchester - the programme is a massive celebration of sounds of the region with highlights including A Certain Ratio, Dutch Uncles, Nakhane, The Lounge Society, Nxdia, Planningtorock and The Orielles. Food wise, visitors can tuck into dishes from Caribbean kitchen ARMR, the Hip Hop Chip Shop, Zouk and Ginger’s Comfort Emporium, as well as Super Serve, who will be taking on the hospitality arm of Factory when it opens properly in October.
Can I still get tickets?
Currently, there's still good availability for most of MIF213s events, including flagship shows such as Yayoi Kusama, Kagami, and Tino Sehgal and Juan Mata in conversation. Some events, including Each Tiny Drop at Mayfield Park, The Find, which will see collectable coins hidden across the city, and Tino Sehgal's This Entry at the National Football Museum, are free but may require a booking. We Cut Through Dust, a venture through the streets of Manchester, is operating on a 'pay-what-you-decide' basis, while pricing for theatre shows, interactive art displays and gigs can be found on the official MIF website. There will also be a box office at Festival Square throughout the event.
Where does Manchester International Festival take place?
In true MIF fashion, events will sprawl right across Manchester city centre, including at the long-awaited Factory International, which will be the new permanent home of the festival. However, the official opening for the £210m arts space takes place in October, so many of this year's events will also pop up in theatres, music halls and galleries in and around Manchester.
New Century will host a number of the large performances for this year's festival, and Mayfield Park, the huge new public park in the city centre, will host the opening event, Each Tiny Drop, and event where audiences are invited to collect water specially transported from the Soan River in Pakistan and pour it into the River Medlock.
Other venues include The Whitworth, National Football Museum, HOME, Versa Studios, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Islington Mill, Manchester Museum, John Rylands Library, Bridgewater Hall, Depot Mayfield, Manchester Academy, and Contact Theatre.
Which events are free to attend?
Much of the festival programme this summer will be free to attend, with more events than ever taking place in public spaces. The full line-up at Festival Square is completely free, with tables allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
Free events taking place at MIF23 include Each Tiny Drop, Ryan Gander: The Find, Tino Sehgal: This Entry, Economics The Blockbuster, Sonics, Stories and Scenes of the Diaspora, Balmy Army.
The schedule of events for MIF23
- June 24 - July 16 - Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play
- June 28 - July 2 - The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions
- June 29 - July 16 - Ryan Gander: The Find
- June 29 - July 9 - Kagami
- June 29 - July 16 - We Cut Through Dust
- June 29 - Formations: Tino Sehgal and Juan Mata in Conversation
- June 29 - Risham Syed: Each Tiny Drop
- June 30 - August 28 - Yayoi Kusama: You, Me And The Balloons
- June 30 - October 22 - Blockbuster: It's Not Business as Usual
- July 4 - Angélique Kidjo and Guests
- July 5 - AFRODEUTSCHE with Manchester Camerata by Robert Ames
- July 6 - July 8 - All right. Good night
- July 6 - Justin Vivian Bond: One night in Trans Vegas
- July 6 - They
- July 7 - Sonic Geography
- July 8 - Anna Meredith: FIBS with the RNCM Festival Orchestra
- July 8 - Sanam Marvi
- July 9 - Manchester Collective and Slung Low: Noah's Flood
- July 11 - John Grant Sings the Songs of Patsy Cline with Richard Hawley and Band
- July 12 - The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson present Hyper Dimensional Expansion Beam
- July 12 - 16 - Benji Reid: Find Your Eyes
- July 14 - 50 Hours of Freedom
- July 14 - Alison Goldfrapp
- July 14 - R.O.S.E: Sharon Eyal, Gai Behar and Young with Ben UFO
- July 15 - Desi Factory
