Festival Square, the hub of this year’s Manchester International Festival, returns next month in a new COVID 19-safe seated format in Cathedral Gardens, with a free daily programme of Greater Manchester talent.
Over 100 performers responded to a call for locally-based performers earlier this year, and 30 acts have been
selected from them to perform during the festival, alongside hundreds of artists from across the region.
Residents from across Greater Manchester will take over Festival Square for Our City Our Festival on July 3 – a free day-long event of music, conversation, performances and participation.
From noon-2pm every Saturday and Sunday there will be free family activities on Festival Square, including family-friendly gigs and craft workshops. Live performances will be streamed direct from the square by festival partner United We Stream.
MIF artistic director John McGrath said, “Safety has been at the heart of our planning and we are delighted to be able to invite audiences to Festival Square with Covid-19 measures in place for a safe celebration of the extraordinary talent of Greater Manchester and the UK.”
Residents from across the city-region will host a takeover for Our City Our Festival. Performers and curators include men’s community choir Chorus of Others, music and performing arts youth group KYSO and Muslim community radio station Heritage Radio, alongside performances presented by MIF’s Neighbourhood Organisers, selected from their local areas.
Full details of the Festival Square programme here