MIF25

Manchester International Festival is back, bringing a bold and eclectic programme of visual art, music, performance—and everything in between.

Now one of the world’s leading festivals of new work, MIF has a long history here on the Oxford Road Corridor. Monkey: Journey to the West at the Palace Theatre was the headline event of its first edition—a striking collaboration between director Chen ShiZheng and Gorillaz founders Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. That fusion of music, animation and live performance set the tone for a festival defined by original interdisciplinary collaboration.

Since then, the Corridor has hosted some of the festival’s most memorable works: the David Lynch takeover of HOME in 2019; the extraordinary coming together of Gerhard Richter and Arvo Pärt across the Whitworth and Bridgewater Hall; Willem Dafoe and Mikhail Baryshnikov at The Palace and unique gigs from the likes of Elbow with the Hallé; PJ Harvey and De La Soul. In 2017, New Order recruited students from the Royal Northern College of Music for their acclaimed run at Old Granada Studios.

The Oxford Road Corridor is a vital part of Manchester’s cultural ecology, from the talent pipeline to its galleries, theatres and gig venues which attract around 4.7 million visitors a year. While there has been much investment in establishing Aviva Studios, MIF’s purpose-built home, there is something special about the festival remaining true to its roots as a city-wide celebration of new work.

Here’s what’s happening at Manchester International Festival around Oxford Road this summer…