Factory International Home

MIF25

Performers parade life-sized cardboard animal puppets through a city square, watched by a large crowd on a sunny day.

About MIF25

Manchester International Festival 2025 invited audiences to Dream Differently. From 3 to 20 July 2025, the Festival took over Aviva Studios and spread across the city, welcoming artists and audiences from around the world to share bold new ideas, powerful stories and joyful moments of connection.

The Festival opened with THE HERDS, a stampede of life-sized animal puppets roaming through the streets of Manchester, Rochdale and Wigan. At Aviva Studios, Football City, Art United. brought together 11 new artist-footballer collaborations in an ambitious and playful group exhibition and choreographer Jonathan Watkins reimagined Christopher Isherwood’s novel A Single Man as a contemporary ballet.

Audiences were invited to explore the city’s public spaces and cultural venues through striking exhibitions like An Inheritance – curated by the children of Greater Manchester – Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge, the artist’s first international solo show. At the Royal Exchange Theatre, Liberation brought to the stage a new play about the private lives of Africa’s liberation figures while FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE at HOME offered a powerful meditation on Pacific identity and storytelling through digital art and ceremonial practice.

Throughout the Festival, music pulsed through Manchester. At Bridgewater Hall and Aviva Studios, Sounds of the East and Ruhaniyat blended orchestral traditions with global sounds, while Surround Sounds, Mary Anne Hobbs & Anna Phoebe, and Everything is Recorded delivered unforgettable one-off live experiences.

A strong thread of community and collaboration ran through the Festival. Balmy Army x Balmy Ukraine returned to champion youth-led mental health activism. Venture Arts brought new projects to life, including a residency with Michael Beard and live collaborative performances. Germaine Kruip: A Possibility transformed the theatre into a space of illusion and possibility, while Juliet Ellis’ A Symphony of Flesh and Bones offered an immersive, dreamlike meditation on the sense of self.

Blackhaine stunned audiences at Diecast with And Now I Know What Love Is, a raw new performance work blending dance, music and personal testimony. Meanwhile, Shilpa Gupta: You are the place gave voice to diverse communities through an evocative sound installation in Rochdale.

With hundreds of artists, dozens of free events and thousands of visitors, MIF25 was a celebration of what happens when we come together to imagine differently, boldly, and collectively.

What did you discover when you Dreamed Differently?

MIF25 Highlights

  • THE HERDS

    A stampede of life-sized animal puppets takes over the city to open MIF25
    A woman in a cap touches the head of a life-sized giraffe puppet made from cardboard and wood, as part of The Herds. The background shows an urban environment with people watching and a scenic view of trees and mountains.

  • Football City, Art United.

    11 new works created by pairings of artists and footballers come together in an ambitious and playful group exhibition
    Multiple floating soccer balls inside a green room with white goalpost markings on the walls. The perspective and reflections create an illusion of depth, making it appear as if the balls are suspended in mid-air.

  • A Single Man

    Jonathan Watkins reimagines Christopher Isherwood’s masterpiece as an electrifying contemporary ballet starring John Grant and Ed Watson
    A digital collage features a grayscale side profile of a man's face, with a dancer emerging from within, positioned in a dramatic pose. The background is divided into a warm brown and a grid-like structure, enhancing the contrast between the two figures.

  • Liberation

    A powerful new play tracing the private lives of the people who fought to liberate Africa
    An artistic collage in the shape of Africa features key figures, cultural icons, and historical moments from the continent's liberation movements. The illustration is on a warm brown background.

  • Blackhaine: And Now I Know What Love Is

    A hypnotic new performance work from the internationally acclaimed artist, choreographer and musician Blackhaine
    A man in a black hooded jacket leans his head against a woman’s shoulder, his eyes closed, while she looks downward with a solemn expression. The background shows an overcast sky and cityscape.

  • Juliet Ellis: A Symphony of Flesh and Bones

    Immersive and dreamlike, this new film and live installation from artist Juliet Ellis offers a deeply personal meditation on the nature of self
    A shirtless elderly man with curly white hair and a beard sits on a chair, reaching out with an expressive hand. The image has a blue monochromatic tone with a soft-focus overlay of his face in the background.

  • FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE

    Digital art, live cultural ceremony and a programme of films and talks grounded in Pacific identity and culture
    A member of FAFSWAG with glowing white eyes and red and black face paint stares intensely at the camera. They wear red beaded necklaces, and the image is flipped upside down.

  • Germaine Kruip: A Possibility

    Germaine Kruip transforms the theatre space into a world of wonder – merging illusion, sound and performance to create infinite possibilities
    A theater stage with a dramatic, modern design is shown, featuring black framing and a stark white, illuminated backdrop. The contrast between the dark seating area and the bright stage creates a striking visual effect.

  • Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge

    The first international solo exhibition of works by Santiago Yahuarcani
    An artwork by Santiago Yahuarcani, showing dolphins and mermaids. The artwork is displayed on a white wall.

  • An Inheritance

    A historic gift from one generation to another, curated by the children of Greater Manchester
    An open capsule on a beach at night. The image has a pink hue.

  • Shilpa Gupta: You are the place

    Explore voices from different communities in this sound installation
    A close-up of a microphone hanging from above, with several similar microphones blurred in the background. The warm lighting and soft focus create an atmospheric feel.

  • Mary Anne Hobbs & Anna Phoebe: WHAT DO YOU WANT?

    A one-off collision of sound, space and sensation from formidable live performance duo Mary Anne Hobbs and Anna Phoebe
    Anna Phoebe and Mary Anne Hobbs dressed in black stand against a rustic metal background, looking upwards.

  • Everything is Recorded

    Sampha just announced! Richard Russell takes up residency at MIF25 with his ever-evolving collaborative music project Everything is Recorded
    A portrait of Richard Russell wearing a light-coloured shirt, standing in front of a window with a blurred green outdoor background.

  • Surround Sounds

    Celebrating 20 years of Sounds From the Other City with a late-night takeover – featuring WU LYF, Lex Amor, AFRODEUTSCHE and many more
    A large, glowing orange orb is suspended above a crowd in a dark indoor venue, casting warm light over the audience and the industrial-style ceiling.

  • Sounds of the East

    MIF and Hallé present Sounds of the East – an evening of music woven together by Eastern tradition and inspiration at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.
    The image is divided into two contrasting halves: the left side has a blue wall with a framed artwork of a stylised wave, while the right side features a yellow wall with framed pictures, including one of an abandoned house.

  • Ruhaniyat (روحانیت) - An Orchestral Sufi Experience

    A world premiere by Rushil Ranjan featuring vocalists Jyoti Nooran, Abi Sampa and Sarthak Kalyani, with Manchester Camerata conducted by Melvin Tay
    A dancer in a flowing purple dress gracefully spins on stage. Behind her, an orchestra dressed in black plays classical instruments.

  • Venture Arts: Michael Beard

    Welcome to the Venture Arts pop-up open studio – a relaxed space for creativity with artist-in-residence Michael Beard
    A painting by Michael Beard showing yellow, red and blue lines on a black background. There is a red image of a dancer upside down overlayed on the painting.

  • Balmy Army x Balmy UKRAINE

    Balmy Army, Manchester’s art, activism and mutual care project for young people, is back to heal and help our mental health with a takeover at Contact
    Photograph from a march through Manchester City Centre as part of MIF23. It shows people holding a large banner that reads 'Balmy Army'.

  • Factory Settings

    Switch on and step into Factory Settings
    Aviva Studios x Trespass with vines and greenery covering the building

  • Festival Square MIF25

    Festival Square is back for MIF25 with free live music, family activities and late-night takeovers
    A vibrant collage shows people enjoying outdoor events, eating, kids playing, a live singer and food trucks in front of Aviva Studios, with colourful, bright light effects blending the scenes.

MIF25 Online

In the Studio

In the Studio with Blackhaine

A black and white portrait of Blackhaine

In the Studio with Juliette Ellis

Juliet Ellis taking a photo sat on the floor, in a blue-lit, smoky environment.

In the Studio with Jonathan Watkins

A busy rehearsal room for A Single Man, with dancers being directed by Jonathan Watkins

In the Studio with Germaine Kruip

Artist Germaine Kruip in her Brussels studio

In the Studio with Keiken

Three members of Keiken staring at the camera, stood in front of a large, grey piece of material.

MIF25 Must-Reads

An introduction to Everything is Recorded

Get to know Everything is Recorded – the boundary-blurring project from XL boss Richard Russell.
A portrait of Richard Russell wearing a light-coloured shirt, standing in front of a window with a blurred green outdoor background.

An Introduction to Juliet Ellis

We take a closer look at the film director, actor, theatre maker and MIF25 performance artist Juliet Ellis
Juliet Ellis inside a dark bar, looking out the window at the street outside.

An introduction to THE HERDS

From the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle, THE HERDS is on the move. Here is all you need to know.
A large crowd of people at an outdoor market wearing hats. They are looking at large giraffe and elephant puppets.

An introduction to Balmy Army

What do Gen Z think about the world? For MIF25, wonky young people from Balmy Army and Balmy Ukraine are demanding change.
A group of young people marching through Manchester City Centre with a huge banner that reads 'Balmy Army'. Many are holding placards and megaphones.

MIF Daily

International residencies

Meet the international artists who took residency in Manchester for MIF25.