A report to Manchester council’s Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee today reveals that last summer’s Manchester International Festival attracted over 325,000 visitors to the city and generated £39.2m of economic activity.
The report also highlights the success of Aviva Studios, the city’s landmark new cultural venue, both in the run-up to its official opening in October and in its opening season, which began with the spectacular Free Your Mind directed by Danny Boyle and written, choreographed and composed by a world-class creative team including Es Devlin, Boy Blue co-founders Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Sabrina Mahfouz, and featuring over 50 dancers from the North West and across the UK.
Last summer saw the ninth edition of the biennial festival take place from 29 June to 16 July with new work from artists including Ryan Gander, Maxine Peake, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tino Sehgal and Juan Mata, and music from John Grant, Angélique Kidjo, Alison Goldfrapp and more.
As well as presenting events at venues across the city, for the first time the festival also presented events at Aviva Studios – the city’s landmark news cultural venue – with over 230,000 visitors taking up the opportunity to preview the building ahead of its official opening last October.
A major exhibition of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s inflatable sculptures formed a centrepiece of the Festival, the first work to be presented at Factory International’s new home, Aviva Studios. You, Me and the Balloons took over the vast warehouse space of the building, inviting audiences to take an exhilarating journey through Kusama’s psychedelic creations, most of which had not been seen before in the UK.
A diverse programme of music acts took to the stage in the Hall of Aviva Studios, including Angélique Kidjo, Alison Goldfrapp and revered Sufi singer Sanam Marvi, a collaboration between AFRODEUTSCHE and Manchester Camerata, as well as the premiere of a new show from John Grant and the Richard Hawley band celebrating pop and country legend Patsy Cline.
Festival Square relocated to the outdoor spaces of Aviva Studios with free live music from over 190 performers, and a wide variety of food and drink, creating a new riverside destination for the city – drawing 83,000 visitors over the period.
Many other events at the festival were also free – with 174,700 attendees enjoying a range of free events across the city including a quest for collectible coin artworks by Ryan Gander and a celebration of our connection to water on the banks of the River Medlock by Risham Syed and Angie Bual.
Building on the significant digital presence the Festival has pioneered since 2017, MIF23 also featured a broad online offer including livestreams and behind-the-scenes broadcasts, and a programme of talks from Guardian Live that took place in person and online.
Greater Manchester residents were once again at the heart of MIF23, from performing on Festival Square, to volunteering in an array of roles across the Festival.
A record number of 428 volunteers from across the region helped bring MIF23 to life getting involved in everything from supporting shows behind the scenes, to being the face of the festival. Over 96 per cent of the volunteers rated their volunteering experience as excellent or good.
Factory International also offered paid opportunities to more than 150 local musicians and performers from Manchester and the city region to showcase their talents live onstage at Festival Square, with performances ranging from indie and punk bands and classical contemporary collectives, to hip hop artists, community choirs and dance troupes.
Over 1,160 children and 25 schools were involved in creative activities as part of MIF23 – including a creative fashion project responding to the iconic style of Yayoi Kusama and culminating in a fashion show on Festival Square.
Reflecting its commitment to developing the next generation of creative talent, MIF23 also saw artists from all stages of their careers given platforms to develop and learn during the festival.
Six artists from the North shadowed the creation of MIF23 projects through the Factory Creative Fellowships, and ten creatives involved in Manchester’s music scene were offered financial support towards the creation of a new project and the opportunity to perform on Festival Square as part of Factory Sounds.
The Festival’s international links with arts organisations around the world were once again very strong. As in previous years, much of the work made in Manchester for MIF23 will now go on to travel internationally – building on an audience to date of over 1.8 million people in more than 30 countries who have experienced MIF’s work overseas.
