Manchester International Festival returns across the city from next week, promising a raft of world exclusive arts and cultural events with it. And this year's events include a host of attractions for all the family to enjoy.
That includes a city-wide treasure hunt, stunning art events and bold new theatre. MIF 2023's opening event will also bring families and young and old together to enjoy at Mayfield Park - the huge new public park in the city centre.
It will see a public gathering as people from all walks of life gather to celebrate community. It will kick start the festival on Thursday June 29, which will then run with events until July 16.
Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Here we take a look at all of the family-friendly events that you can either book to attend now, or head along to for free during the festival. Meanwhile Festival Square, the food, drinks and music hub, will have a new home this year right next to the huge new Factory International arts venue.
For all events where tickets are required, you can book these in advance at the official MIF website. There will also be a box office at Festival Square throughout the event.
OPENING EVENT: Each Tiny Drop
Venue: Mayfield Park
Date: 29 June
Entrance: Free
Rivers from all over the world flow into our oceans, just like people from all walks of life come together to create a vibrant community. Each Tiny Drop celebrates this togetherness and the gift of water, drawing on ancient practices and river rituals from South Asian culture.
Each Tiny Drop welcomes you to take part, or simply soak up the atmosphere among family and friends. You’re invited to collect water specially transported from the Soan River in Pakistan and steward it into the River Medlock.
You can also join in with singing led by a chorus, or just take a moment to relax, reflect and let their calming sounds wash over you.
ART: Yayoi Kusama: You Me and the Balloons
Venue: Factory International
Dates: June 30 - August 28
Entrance: Standard Tickets £15; Affordable Tickets £10 & £7.50
In one of the most eagerly-anticipated events of MIF 2021, Yayoi Kusama is bringing her largest-ever immersive environment to Manchester.
Conceived especially for the soaring spaces of the new arts venue Factory International, Yayoi Kusama - You, Me and the Balloons celebrates three decades of the pioneering Japanese artist's inflatable artworks, which are brought together for the first time in this major exhibition.
Journey through Kusama's psychedelic creations - many over 10m tall - including giant dolls, spectacular tendrilled landscapes and a vast constellation of polka-dot spheres. Which are sure to delight art-lovers young and old.
FOOD/DRINK/MUSIC: Festival Square
Venue: Festival Square, Water Street, Manchester
Dates: June 29 - July 16
Entrance: free
The central hub of Manchester International Festival returns in a new riverside location outside Factory International’s landmark new venue. Festival 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.
For family fun join in an interactive performance from Agbeko – Manchester's very own Afrobeat-inspired rock-funk-psych outfit – hosted by Babyrocksampler and Band on the Wall. Plus get down with reggae for kids with family rave know-it-alls Dub Smugglers and the Playhouse Project, and so much more.
This year's MIF will be the first time the new riverside square will be in operation so it will be exciting to see how it all looks.
THEATRE: Noah’s Flood (9 July)
Venue: The Depot
Date: 9 July
Entrance: Standard Tickets £25; Affordable Tickets £12.50 £10
Having been tipped off that the world is about to end, Noah sets out to save his family and the entire animal kingdom from extinction.
In this vibrant staging of Benjamin Britten’s community opera, director Alan Lane tells a story of hope and survival, featuring Lemn Sissay live as the voice of God and 180 schoolchildren as every bird and beast under the sun.
ART: The Find
Venue: City-wide
Dates: 29 June – 16 July
Tickets: Free
Ryan Gander invites families to undertake a quest across the city in search of his latest artworks. Hundreds of thousands of collectable coins will be hiding in plain sight across Manchester, each embellished with words offering guidance on daily decisions.
Left on park benches, walls, steps, in food courts and libraries, tucked away in parking ticket machines or between tram seats, Gander sets out an invitation for all of Manchester to go out and explore.
ART/CULTURE: Balmy Army (1-15 July)
Venue: HOME
Dates: July 1 - 15
Tickets: Standard Tickets £15; Affordable Tickets £10, £7.50 - Age guidance is 14+
Publicity for this show says: "Over the past year young people, artists, madpride organisers, radical dreamers, disability justice doers and everyone else trying to cope have come together to challenge how mental health is understood, treated and experienced in the UK.
"From sharing poetry to making placards, to social media takeovers and printing t-shirts, this is the Balmy Army’s lab where anything can happen and everyone is welcome to join in."
