Release date: June 07, 2021
Photo: Tarnish Vision 2
Festival in My House – takeover of the festival site
From a giant sculpture of Big Ben in Piccadilly Gardens made up of 20,000 books to an exhibition in the sky, much of this year’s festival is free, with more work than ever in public spaces across the city
The fairground, the home of the festival, takes over the cathedral garden. There will be a packed program of food, drink and free entertainment from international artists and artists from Greater Manchester – including curated nights by Jamz Supernova, Homoelectric, Mr Scruff and DJ Paulette, as well as live performances by more than a dozen selected local acts by one public appeal.
Festival Square at Manchester International Festival 2019. Pictured: Priti Shikotra
Your city, your festival
Greater Manchester residents will be the focus of a number of festival events this year. At Deansgate, 160 residents of Manchester will take part in an outdoor mass dance called Sea Change on the first day of the festival. Over 100 Greater Manchester residents will appear in a book of love letters written by 11 Manchester-based authors for a project called I Love You Too. And in Manchester Arndale, Portrait of Black Britain will show 100 portraits of black Britons, including many from Manchester.
Arcadia, a new sound and light installation inspired by nature, invites audiences for the first time to explore The Factory while it’s still under construction – the large new art space that will be the future home of the MIF .
The global playground. Image: Chris Nash and Ethan Davis
For families, The Global Playground is an uplifting new show that combines dance, music, theater, and puppetry and explores how we play together.
For the first time, residents of the Greater Manchester area will also take over the series of talks and discussions at the festival. With artists, activists, key workers, activists and members of the Greater Manchester community, Looking Forward to Tomorrow will explore some of the big issues of the day, including the climate emergency and racism against blacks.
Fairground. Image: Louis Reynolds
A Rochdale connection
MIF’s new Neighborhood Organizer program connects the festival with communities in the Greater Manchester area. Rochdale resident Nicky Iginla, one of the neighborhood organizers, hopes to bring new opportunities and experiences to the Rochdale community this summer – attend world premieres, take part in training and job opportunities, volunteer behind the scenes and even participate Festival events to perform!
A COVID safe festival
MIF strives to provide a safe festival for everyone. In addition to following all government and industry guidelines, the organizers also work closely with specialist safety advisors to ensure that all venues are COVID safe and safe for all.
The festival is also going digital in order to reach the broadest possible audience – with live streams and special online events that offer an insight into the festival everywhere.
Whether you’re dancing in the streets of Deansgate, meeting new people, performing in Festival Square, or simply enjoying the many free events and activities in town and online, MIF invites people from across the Greater Manchester area to have a fun and solemn moment for the city in July.
Tickets on sale at www.mif.co.uk
