Manchester International Festival

Creative Tourist
Yayoi Kusama, courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.
Yayoi Kusama. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.

Manchester International Festival 2023 at Factory International, Manchester 29 June — 16 July 2023 Tickets from £10.00 — Book now

Manchester is all set to become the world’s stage this summer, with Manchester International Festival returning from 29 June to 16 July 2023. And with the long-anticipated programme nearly here, it’s fair to say that we’re more than a little excited about the cultural adventures in store.

Taking place in venues and spaces across the city, including the all-new Factory International, MIF23 will present 18 extraordinary days of events, performances and happenings in Greater Manchester, where the world’s most exciting creative minds will reach across art forms, smash boundaries, and speak to urgent contemporary issues.

Below you’ll find our longlist of what’s on at the festival. We’ve also grouped together some standout events that you may not already be aware of in separate guides: Don’t MissTry Something New, Visual Arts and Free Things To Do.

Manchester International Festival 2023 at Factory International, Manchester 29 June — 16 July 2023

Book Now

Our top picks

MIF23: untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play at the Royal Exchange

untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 24 June–22 July 2023, from £7.00 - Book now

Winner of the Bruntwood Prize 2019 International Award, Kimber Lee’s play looks to be the pièce de résistance for another brilliant season at the Royal Exchange and a hot ticket at MIF23.

Image courtesy of the Royal Exchange/ MIF

MIF23: The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions at HOME

The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 28 June–2 July 2023, from £10.00 - Book now

Expect dance, theatre and song in this musical world premiere performance of Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta’s cult 1977 novel.

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions at HOME
Image courtesy of Damien Frost.

MIF23: KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum

KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tin Drum at Versa Manchester Studios, Castlefield, 29 June–9 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

Watch a ground-breaking mixed reality concert created by legendary composer and musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and world-leading production studio and technology developer, Tin Drum.

Ryuichi Sakamoto by Luigi & Iango, 2023.

MIF23: We Cut Through Dust

We Cut Through Dust, 29 June–16 July 2023, free entry - Find Out More

We Cut Through Dust is a unique experience in which you’ll be guided through the city streets via phone calls and offered a dystopian version of what the future holds by the people who’ve been left to live in it.

MIF We Cut Through Dust

MIF23: Each Tiny Drop at Mayfield Park

Each Tiny Drop at Mayfield Park, Manchester, 29 June 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Take part in a joyful gathering on the banks of the River Medlock, celebrating togetherness and the gift of water, while drawing on ancient practices and river rituals from South Asian culture.

Each Tiny Drop at Mayfield Park
Image by Lee Baxter.

MIF23: Sonics, Stories and Scenes of the Diaspora at Manchester Museum

Sonics, Stories and Scenes of the Diaspora at Manchester Museum, Manchester, 1 July 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Manchester Museum and SEEN magazine are celebrating the contribution of the South Asian diaspora on music and culture as a whole in this one-day event located in the Museum’s brand new South Asia Gallery.

Image by Yushy.

MIF23: Tino Sehgal, This entry at the National Football Museum and the Whitworth

This entry at National Football Museum, Cathedral Quarter, 29 June–16 July 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Celebrate the connections between vastly different worlds with Tino Sehgal’s new choreographed piece, premiering at the National Football Museum and the Whitworth this summer.

MIF23: Ryan Gander, The Find at various locations around Manchester

Ryan Gander: The Find, 29 June–16 July 2023, free entry - Find Out More

Join Ryan Gander’s The Find, a citywide treasure hunt for the artist’s tiny collectible artworks and decision-making tools in the form of coins.

Image by Lee Baxter.

MIF23: You, Me and the Balloons at Factory International

You, Me and the Balloons at Factory International, City Centre, 30 June–28 August 2023, from £7.50 - Book now

Yayoi Kusama’s You, Me and the Balloons celebrates three decades of Kusama’s spectacular inflatable artworks, which are brought together for the first time in this major exhibition.

You, Me and the Balloons
Yayoi Kusama and Dots Obsession, 1996-2011 Installation (Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo). Image courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.

MIF23: Balmy Army at HOME

Balmy Army at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 1–15 July 2023

Balmy Army’s requests are simple – they want better access to mental health support and they want it now. Their exhibition at HOME is an expression of this desire in multiple ways, with a strong focus on the community, dialogue and with lots of energy to inspire change.

MIF23: They at John Rylands Library

THEY at John Rylands Research Institute and Library, City Centre, 5–9 July 2023, from £10.00 - Book now

The band’s back together. Regular MIF collaborators Maxine Peake, Sarah Frankcom and Imogen Knight unveil a brand-new production – a chilling adaptation of a lost dystopian masterpiece turned cult classic.

Actor Maxine Peake. Image: Paul Husband
Actor Maxine Peake. Image: Paul Husband.

MIF23: AFRODEUTSCHE with Manchester Camerata conducted by Robert Ames

AFRODEUTSCHE with Manchester Camerata at Factory International, City Centre, 5 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

Manchester Camerata and Robert Ames are teaming up to premier a new work for string ensemble from Manchester’s very own AFRODEUTSCHE.

AFRODEUTSCHE by Pierre Debusschere.

MIF23: Justin Vivian Bond – One Night in Trans Vegas at Factory International

Justin Vivian Bond at Factory International, City Centre, 6 July 2023

A true master of their craft, the legendary trans performer, Justin Vivian Bond brings one special night of cabaret greatness to MIF23.

Justin Vivian Bond - One Night in Trans Vegas at Factory International
Image by Distilled Studio for Glorious Broads.

MIF23: All right. Good night at HOME

All right. Good night at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 6–8 July 2023, from £10.00 - Book now

The sudden disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and the real-life experience of dementia are woven together in this meditative performance from Rimini Protokoll.

All Right. Good Night at HOME
Image courtesy of Merlin Nadj-Torma.

MIF23: Anna Meredith, FIBS with RNCM Festival Orchestra at Depot Mayfield

Anna Meredith: FIBS with RNCM Festival Orchestra at Depot Mayfield, Manchester, 8 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

Anna Meredith presents an orchestral version of her Mercury Prize-shortlisted album FIBS in collaboration with young musicians from the RNCM.

Anna Meredith by Gem Harris.

MIF23: Noah’s Flood at Depot Mayfield

Noah's Flood at Depot Mayfield, Manchester, 9 July 2023, from £10.00 - Book now

Audiences of all ages are invited to enjoy a one-of-a-kind opera featuring Manchester Collective, Lemn Sissay and 180 schoolchildren as every bird and beast under the sun.

Noah's Flood at Factory International
Image by Tom Arber.

MIF23: John Grant sings Patsy Cline with Richard Hawley and Band

John Grant sings Patsy Cline at Factory International, City Centre, 11 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

John Grant brings his baritone and Richard Hawley his band together in celebration of legendary country star Patsy Cline.

Image by Sully.

MIF23: The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson

The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson at Factory International, City Centre, 12 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson present Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam – a unique collision of the band’s cosmic sounds and Dickinson’s transcendent visuals, specially commissioned for the Festival.

The Comet is Coming by Fabrice Bourgelle.

MIF23: Find Your Eyes at Manchester Academy

Find Your Eyes at Manchester Academy, Manchester, 12–16 July 2023, from £10.00 - Book now

Fusing photography with choreography and theatre, don’t miss this live photography show, created by the award-winning British photographer Benji Reid.

Find Your Eyes
Image courtesy of Benji Reid.

MIF23: Desi Factory at Factory International

Desi Factory at Factory International, City Centre, 15 July 2023, from £10 - Book now

Marking the closing weekend of Manchester International Festival 2023, Manchester’s own Sam Malik curates a night of British South Asian talent at Factory International.

Desi Factory - Sam Malik by Zak Knight.

MIF23: Festival Square

Festival Square at Factory International, City Centre, 30 June–16 July 2023, free entry - Find Out More

You’ll find the beating heart of Manchester International Festival 2023 in an all new location this year, with Festival Square popping up on the banks of the River Irwell.

Image courtesy of Manchester International Festival.

MIF23: Economics The Blockbuster – It’s not Business as Usual at the Whitworth

Economics The Blockbuster at The Whitworth, Manchester, 30 June–22 October 2023, free entry

Business can sometimes be a dirty world in the art circles but this exhibition clearly illustrates that it can sustainable and communities can be cared for as a result. The show is bursting with ideas for ethical businesses and innovative ways of supporting the people in and around them.

Members and regular pickers of Company Drinks, a community - driven drinks business, forage for hawthorns at Eastbrookend Country Park in Dagenham, East London/Essex. Photo courtesy of Company Drinks

Part of this event

What's on at Factory International

FestivalsCity Centre
MIF23: Festival Square

You’ll find the beating heart of Manchester International Festival 2023 in an all new location this year, with Festival Square popping up on the banks of the River Irwell.

free entry

What's on: Festivals

FestivalsCity Centre
MIF23: Festival Square

You’ll find the beating heart of Manchester International Festival 2023 in an all new location this year, with Festival Square popping up on the banks of the River Irwell.

free entry

Culture Guides

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Music

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Gerry Potter (credit Lee Baxter)
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Food and Drink

All signs point toward June being a scorcher of a month, so let’s take a look at all things summery food and drink.

Tours and Activities

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