Manchester International Festival has today announced its Festival Square line-up, the series of free events that makes up the main hub of the huge arts event.
MIF will return to the city between 29 June and 16 July this year, with events in its new home at Factory International.
And there’ll be a new home for Festival Square too, which has previously taken over spaces like Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens.
This year’s free programme of music, family entertainment and street food will be centred around a new riverside location, with an open-air stage welcoming more than 190 artists over the course of the festival.
The majority of those performing will hail from Greater Manchester too, celebrating the sounds of the region.
Highlights of the Festival Square programme will include post-punk band A Certain Ratio as they mark 45 years, avant-pop-trio The Orielles, electo art rock quartet Dutch Uncles, and trans-non-binary singer-songwriter Planningtorock.
Throughout MIF23, Festival Square will also host takeovers from some of the city’s biggest promoters, club nights, collectives, venues and radio stations including Band on the Wall, Brighter Sound, Dave Haslam, Feel Good Club, Piano in the City, Reform Radio, Trans Creative and YES.
MIF hosted an open call-out earlier this year, with more than 290 applications from artists and community groups across the region. 26 have been selected, including alt-pop singer-songwriter Nxdia, Afrobeat and Reggae collective Sens Sagna and the Kajamor Family, Latin band Guacamaya, and Brazilian percussion from youth-group Jubacana.
Showcasing Factory International’s music development programme, Factory Sounds, solo artist and multi-instrumentalist James Holt, afrobeat influenced rapper Prido, and shoegaze indie pop band Foxglove will also perform.
On the food and drink side of things, there’ll be an offering from Super Serve (which was recently announced as Factory International’s food and beverage partner), plus Caribbean delights from ARMR, fish and chips from Hip Hop Chip Shop, Indian food from Zouk, and ice creams from Ginger’s Comfort Emporium.
Ginger’s Comfort Emporium. Credit: SuppliedARMR. Credit: SuppliedHip Hop Chip Shop. Credit: The Manc GroupFood and drink at Festival Square
An array of family entertainment will include song and dance workshops, interactive music-making and storytelling, from Babyrocksampler, Born To Be Wild Child, Playhouse Project and more.
Rivca Burns, Festival Square programmer for Factory International says: “We’re super excited to share the 2023 edition of Festival Square, featuring more voices than ever before from across Greater Manchester.
“It is an honour to curate the programme for the hub of Manchester International Festival, the talent in this city is huge and bringing over 190 acts to this international stage. The programme will excite, inspire and fill you with joy daily, get down to Festival Square to enjoy your new favourite artist!”
Sarah Maxfield, Area Director, North, Arts Council England, said: “It is fantastic to have Manchester International Festival back across the city after the limitations of the pandemic. Festival Square offers the local community and visitors a chance to enjoy a huge variety of free live music and family activities and it’s great to see so many artists from Greater Manchester performing in this year’s programme.”
For those outside the city centre, Sounds From the Square will be broadcasting live to the world from factoryinternational.org and the Factory International YouTube channel with interviews, performances and behind the scenes access to the productions at MIF23.
More details on the MIF23 programme, including Festival Square, can be found at factoryinternational.org.
Featured image: Paul Husband
Manchester
Free books given to all high school and primary school starters in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Tens of thousands of free books have been handed out to children across Manchester as they head back to school.
As part of a scheme set up in 2020 by Read Manchester – a partnership between Manchester City Council and National Literacy Trust – and initially aimed at children leaving primary school to head off to high school, more than 48,000 free books have since been given out to the city’s 11-year-olds within the past four years.
As the scheme proved to be such a success, it was then extended in 2023 to also support four-year-olds going to school for the first time.
21,000 free books have now also been put in the hands of Reception class youngsters in the region since the scheme was extended to include them.
And now, as 2025’s Reception and Year 7 students began heading back to school for the new term this week, more than 15,000 free books were handed out to them too in a bid to get them reading and enjoying books.
15,000 FREE BOOKS were gifted (before the summer holidays) to Manchester children who’ve just started primary school or secondary school this week📚🔖
The scheme also included author visits and teacher resources✍️
The Council also hopes the free books will give children a ‘shared experience’ with their new classmates as they start a new chapter in their lives together at school.
The book gifted to Year 6 pupils leaving their primary school this year was – for the second year running – ‘Quiet Storm’ by local author Kimberly Whittam, who herself works in a Manchester school and was based, in part, on her own experiences as a quiet and sometimes-shy child.
Children starting school for the very first time this year were each given a copy of ‘The One and Only You’ by author Shane Hegarty and illustrator Ben Mantle, which is a heartfelt picture book about celebrating individuality.
Levenshulme High School students distributing free books to year six pupils visiting for transition day, Pictured with book author Kimberly Whittham from Manchester
L-R Zoha and Elyssialp
“Starting school for the first time, or moving up to high school are both huge milestone moments in a child’s life and can be a big deal for children, no matter how confident they usually are,” commented Councillor Julie Reid, who is the Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People at Manchester City Council.
“Our transition read scheme is such a simple idea and yet one that makes a real difference to pupils.
“It helps them interact and engage with their new classmates and teachers, and importantly also helps to really embed and kickstart in all our children and young people a real love of reading that we hope will stay with them throughout their lives.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Manchester
Local LGBTQIA+ football team Manchester Laces are set to play in the FA Cup for the first time ever
Danny Jones
Inclusive football team Manchester Laces are set to break even more new ground are they prepare to compete in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time ever.
What a truly incredible few years it’s been for the club.
Set to play their maiden match in the female division of the sport’s oldest competition this weekend, Manchester Laces’ Yellows squad will be taking on rival Greater Manchester Women’s Football League (GMWFL) side, Northwich Victoria, in another historic milestone for the local outfit.
Announced last month, the game is now fast approaching, and they’re hoping that plenty of Manc natives will turn up in support.
For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Manchester Laces has grown to become the leading women’s, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ positive sporting bodies in the region.
In fact, as part of a wider family – which includes clubs in Hackney, South London and Limehouse Laces, not to mention players over in Canada too – they’re comfortably one of the biggest in the entire country.
Sticking with MCR Laces alone, founded by Helen Hardy, they have grown so much in reputation and size that they have six different teams besides just the Yellows: the other Manchester squads include the Blues, Greens, Oranges, Purples, as well as the budding new Reds and Blacks.
It’s this kind of impressive expansion and, crucially, representation that has seen them win two Football v Homophobia Awards and Grassroots Initiative of the Year back in 2023.
Side-note: they also happen to have one of our favourite fooy kits of the entire year so far…
Boasting a new regular stadium at Timpson Road and set to take part not only in the North West Women’s Regional Football League (NWWFL)/GMWFL, but now FA Cup and county cup games, 2025 could be their most momentous year yet.
Providing access to countless women and people from within the queer and non-binary community who love the beautiful game and may have otherwise struggled to find an outlet, their work has been crucial in and around Greater Manchester.
With that in mind, taking part in an inaugural run within the prestigious knockout tournament feels like yet another watershed moment for the organisation.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, the club wrote on social media: “In 2021, we started our journey in Div 2 of the GMWFL with the aim of creating an inclusive and welcoming space for all. After winning consecutive league titles and earning back-to-back promotions, we are now a Tier 6 team.
“Yellows are delighted to be stepping into the magic of the FA Cup for the very first time, and we would love to see you there!
Taking place at both Wythenshawe Town FC’s and the Yellows’ own new home ground of Ericstan Park on Sunday, 7 September (2pm KO), we wish them the best of luck.
Daisy Jackson -
18th May 2023 
