Summary

  • Thank you for joining us this last 18 days and for making the festival a success. Scroll back to remember some of the higlights of MIF 2017 and see you in 2019!

  • Manchester International Festival ran from 29 June and 16 July 2017

  • Talk to us @mifestival on twitter & mcrintfestival on Facebook

  1. Behind the scenes with Nick Vivianpublished at 17:38 BST 6 July 2017

    Cotton Panic!

    Director of Visuals Chris Turner has been snapping away as the Cotton Panic!, external team, Nick Vivian, Jane Horrocks and Wrangler, prepare to open the show on Saturday. It's looking pretty spectacular, and Nick has shared some photos with us!

    Rehearsals for Cotton Panic!Image source, Chris Turner
    Image caption,

    Rehearsals for Cotton Panic!

    Rehearsals for Cotton Panic!Image source, Chris Turner
    Image caption,

    Rehearsals for Cotton Panic!

  2. More tickets released for amazing comedy this weekendpublished at 17:23 BST 6 July 2017

    Max & Ivan, Emma Sidi, Birthday Girls, Brian Gittins - go go go!

    You won't find a better comedy programme in Manchester this year, nab the final tickets while you can...

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  3. How easy is it to play the saw?published at 17:19 BST 6 July 2017

    Lemn Sissay investigates in Party Skills For The End Of The World

    You get the vibrato by shaking your leg, of course...

    Media caption,

    Party Skills For The End Of The World is a show in abandoned university buildings

    Learn more about our apocalyptic, thoroughly immersive party show Party Skills For The End Of The World, external

  4. More New Order tickets released! Quick!published at 17:06 BST 6 July 2017

    New Order play tonight - could you be there?

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  5. 'We're from Leeds. Don't hold that against us.'published at 17:02 BST 6 July 2017

    Festival Square

    As seen in Albert Square. We can't promise anything.

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  6. New Order on their sell-out gigs "We're a 17 piece"published at 16:34 BST 6 July 2017

    New Order

    Legendary electro-pioneers New Order have been smashing their sell-out gigs, so we only thought it fair we give you a bit of insight into how they've constructed them:

    Media caption,

    New Order have optimised the sound of Manchester for decades

  7. Arcade Fire play tonight - let's celebrate with some trackspublished at 16:17 BST 6 July 2017

    Arcade Fire

    With guest vocalist David Bowie (who loved the track so much he threatened to steal it, external), Reflecktor is Arcade Fire at their best - full to the brim with funky strut and pure class. Even if you're not at tonight's Castlefield gig, you can still find a way to pay homage to the globally loved oddballs...

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    Learn more about Arcade Fire at Castlefield Bowl, external

  8. Trying to make sense of Trump, Brexit and Le Pen? So is Thomas Ostermeier.published at 15:53 BST 6 July 2017

    Returning to Reims

    The world can feel like a confusing place, politically. Working with Homeland's Nina Hoss, German Director Thomas Ostermeier grapples with some of the biggest questions facing us today.

    Media caption,

    Returning to Reims: Director Thomas Ostermeier talks about his commission with #mif17

    Quote Message

    "We're talking about phenomenons we're all facing, all over Europe, in the States and all over the world. What I'm doing in theatre is questioning myself, questioning my view on things and trying to have a deeper analysis."

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  9. Composer Karl Hyde & volunteers create a room-wide canvaspublished at 15:22 BST 6 July 2017

    Manchester Street Poem

    From today onwards, you'll be able to see Karl Hyde (who is all over our festival this year, also composing for Fatherland) create an ode to Manchester's homeless community in his project Manchester Street Poem.

    Pop into Unfear in the Northern Quarter every day from 10am-6pm, external to see his enormous canvas, created this morning with the help of our volunteers - it will slowly be filled as he creates an enormous poem through the remainder of the festival, giving these often lost voices a spotlight. You can also watch it being created live right here , external- as we stream the entire thing.

    Karl Hyde with the MIF volunteer army, as they create Manchester Street PoemImage source, MIF
  10. 'We're not going to play Blue Monday. We're definitely not going to play Blue Monday.'published at 15:11 BST 6 July 2017

    New Order definitely aren't going to play Blue Monday

    So what are they playing at their sell-out festival gig?

    Listen below, and find out for yourself:

    Media caption,

    6Music get audience reactions to the show as part of 2017 MIF

    There's no point trying to get tickets, but what you can do is visit our True Faith exhibition, external, exploring the legacy of New Order and Joy Division

  11. Lola, 7, gives her top festival tipspublished at 14:42 BST 6 July 2017

    Dogs of Festival Square

    We always want to hear from our audiences, and situated within the gloriously sunny Albert Square, we interrupted Lola to get her view on how the festival's going so far.

    Lola, 7 year old poodleImage source, MIF

    Name: Lola

    Breed: Poodle

    Age: 7

    Top Tip:

    Quote Message

    Fatherland is the show of the festival for me, it's truly breathtaking in its scope - a heartrending exploration of modern masculinity, of legacy, and what it means to return home.

    Lola, Poodle

    Thanks Lola, now, get back to your critical theory MA.

    Learn more about Fatherland, external

  12. 'Depending on what floor you're on, you'll affect the harmony of the voices'published at 14:16 BST 6 July 2017

    Anna Meredith on composing for a lift

    Anna Meredith has had one of our more unusual spaces to compose for: a lift landing between a Marks & Spencers and a Selfridges.

    How do you go about composing for that? She tells us everything...

    Media caption,

    Anna Meredith tells us about her Music For a Busy City composition process

    Find out more about her composition, and all the secret music we've hidden around Manchester as part of Music For A Busy City, external

  13. 'Take a journey through fatherhood: the feelings, the sentiments, the contradictions'published at 13:42 BST 6 July 2017

    #creative50

    Jon Howard
    MIF17 Creative50

    Fatherland flowImage source, MIF

    What does it mean to be a father? Why do so many fathers keep their emotions hidden? How do fathers perceive their responsibilities?

    FatherlandFlow , external- created by brilliant #creative50 artist Jon Howard - seeks to unpick meaning in the role of the father. Taken from original interviews used to create Fatherland, hundreds of words of dialogue have been analysed, and connections generated in an fully interactive web experience.

    Explore the themes of fatherhood, find hidden connections and uncover meaning for yourself - all you need to do is dive into the cloud., external

    As the journeys taken by users cross paths the system will generate Tweets on the most connected themes for each day - you can follow the flow here.

    Fatherland Flow is a #Creative50 response by Jon Howard (@swingpants, external) to Fatherland, external, the bold new show by Scott Graham, Karl Hyde and Simon Stephens.

  14. New Order are here tonight - and you can see their exhibition for freepublished at 13:23 BST 6 July 2017

    True Faith

    Listening to New Order on Radio 6's Radcliffe and Maconie?

    Look, you may not have a ticket for tonight's show (it sold out so very long ago) the good news is you can see the amazing exhibition True Faith, external - exploring the on-going legacy of Joy Division & New Order - every day until the 16th July absolutely free.

    Learn more below, and plan a visit to the Manchester Art Gallery.

    Media caption,

    True Faith explores the ongoing legacy of New Order and Joy Division

  15. 'Beautiful, elegant, minimal electronic'published at 12:30 BST 6 July 2017

    Paleman: listen right now

    Tonight we welcome Paleman to Gorilla, external as part of our Dark Matter gigs, curated by Mary Anne Hobbs.

    Merging the worlds of electronic and jazz, his work is utterly hypnotic and totally unique. Have a listen to his Soundcloud, and get immersed.

    Media caption,

    #mif17 trailer for Paleman (part of the Dark Matter Series)

  16. Are you ready for Radcliffe & Maconie at 1pm?published at 11:51 BST 6 July 2017

    6 Music

    Live right here from 1pm, Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie will be speaking to New Order, Karl Hyde, Stealing Sheep and the artist Phil Collins about everything they're getting up to at this year's festival.

    Rest up, Stuart. It's all kicking off soon.

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  17. 'I ran a festival in my house'published at 11:30 BST 6 July 2017

    BBC Radio 4

    In the run-up to this year's festival we invited local residents to hold tiny arts festivals in their own homes - one such resident did exactly that, and will tell us all about it right now, on BBC Radio 4.

    She'll speak to others who hosted their own festival in their houses - from a Parisian post-punk band, a spoken word celebration and a classical music event. Listen above, and learn how to bring the spirit of the festival to your very own home...

    Festival SquareImage source, MIF
    Image caption,

    Our very own home, Festival Square

  18. When Teenager Girls Rule The World - a Teen manifestopublished at 11:08 BST 6 July 2017

    #creative50

    Jenny Gaskell
    MIF17 Creative50

    Inspired by What If Women Ruled The World?, When Teenage Girls Rule The World is a specially created manifesto by and for the teenagers of Manchester - curated by brilliant local #Creative50 artists Jenny Gaskell and Anna Horton.

    It's hard to pick out favourite lines, but we do think 'We have loud souls and great ambitions' is worth sharing:

    Image of poem with annotationsImage source, MIF
    Quote Message

    Our manifesto was created in workshop with local teenagers, to support a group of women who are often told what to do – by family, school and the media. They are at a vital age in which it is time to write their own rules.

    Jenny Gaskell, Artist

    Learn more: @JenniferGaskell & @AnnaKHorton

  19. What's happening today?published at 10:09 BST 6 July 2017

    Your round-up of the day's sweet events

    Manchester Street PoemImage source, MIF
    Image caption,

    Manchester Street Poem, by Karl Hyde

    It's been exactly one week since we opened this year's festival with our Piccadilly Square runway celebrating the people of Manchester, and we're officially in full swing. We've got gigs, shows, exhibitions, pizza, excellent photos of dogs and plenty more.

    So, what's on the agenda for today?

    We're opening a few brand new shows today, including Manchester Street Poem - an installation by Fatherland composer Karl Hyde, as he live-paints an ode to Manchester's homeless , externalin the centre of the city.

    Also new is legendary dance spectacular Available Light, external over at The Lowry, and we have a one-night-only multimedia extravaganza Last And First Men , external(narrated by Tilda Swinton) at the Bridgewater Hall.

    New Order return, external to knock it out of the park once again, external, and our runs of world exclusives Fatherland, external, Returning To Reims, external and What If Women Ruled The World?, external are all on their second day.

    Tonight, we welcome Manchester electronic pioneer Paleman, external to Gorilla, as well as Caribbean jazz-fusers Bokanté., external

    Whew. Any questions?

    See today's full programme right here , external- there's plenty more to see.

  20. Bonobo + Sandunes at Manchester Cathedral: photospublished at 09:20 BST 6 July 2017

    Simon Green back on beloved home-turf

    Simon Green - aka Bonobo - brought his fully orchestrated show to us last night for one night only. Check out him and his amazing band Sandunes, as they elevated the beautiful Manchester Cathedral to new heights.

    Bonobo Albert HallImage source, MIF
    Bonobo Albert HallImage source, MIF
    Bonobo Albert HallImage source, MIF
    Bonobo Albert HallImage source, MIF
    Bonobo Albert HallImage source, MIF