Manchester International Festival (MIF) has announced that a giant puppet will walk through the city centre next summer as part of the festival’s opening weekend.
The giant artwork – which is called Little Amal and has been created by the same team behind the world-famous War Horse puppet – is the first event to be announced for the 21st annual Manchester International Festival.
It comes with a very powerful message too.
Little Amal’s arrival to the city is part of a work called The Walk – which follows the journey of a nine-year-old refugee girl from the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester – and is to be featured at the festival.
The puppet will travel almost 5,000 miles across Turkey and Europe “in search of her mother”.
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During The Walk, the puppet will cover Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, before arriving in at the large-scale free public event which will take place in Manchester city centre on 4th July.
Festival organisers say the 3.5-metre-tall puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl is an “emblem of the millions of displaced refugee children separated from their families”.
— Manchester International Festival (@MIFestival) October 7, 2020
The Walk is a joint production from theatre company Good Chance and the Handspring Puppet Company.
John McGrath – Artistic Director and CEO of Manchester International Festival – said: “We’re delighted to be a major partner on The Walk, our first event to be unveiled as we plan for MIF21, and to welcome Little Amal to Manchester for the conclusion of her extraordinary journey.
“At MIF, we have a proud history of creating large-scale participatory events that bring the city together. As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, a project like this feels more important than ever – encapsulating everything that the arts can do; crossing borders, starting important conversations, and bringing communities together.
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“We hope that families, communities, schools, friends and neighbours – everyone who calls Greater Manchester their home – will help us welcome Little Amal.”
Bevan Ross – MIF / The WalkBevan Ross – MIF / The Walk
Amir Nizar Zuabi – Artistic Director of The Walk – said: “It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and change the narrative around it.
“Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice. The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”
He added: “She is walking through your town. The question is how would you like to welcome her?”
You can find more information about The Walk via the Manchester International Festival (MIF) website here.
What's On
Curious kids can meet star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! in Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Got a curious kid on your hands? You can take them to meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum next month.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
Operation Ouch! star Dr Chris Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum next month / Credit: Science Museum Group
That’s because Dr Chris Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
Dr Chris will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Chris will be there every step of the way.
Also to celebrate Dr Chris’ visit, the museum is introducing additional sense-themed activities that very same weekend, where sight and sound will be examined during an interactive experience led by the museum’s expert Explainers.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Sunday 9 November, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Chris from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Council announces Manchester’s Remembrance Sunday 2025 parade plans and road closures
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to remember the fallen during this year’s annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
With Remembrance Day only a few weeks away now, just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed the details of how the city will mark this important occasion, and has confirmed all the details of the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade on 9 November.
Proceedings will start on John Dalton Street at 10:30am, and run right through until midday – with the service itself being held at 11am.
Veterans, military personnel and cadets, all led by Greater Manchester Police‘s Band, will march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph St. Peter’s Square.
This will be followed by a short return march to Mount Street across St Peter’s Square.
Manchester’s Remembrance Sunday 2025 parade plans and road closures have been announced / Credit: Manchester City Council
Civic dignitaries, servicemen and women, service and ex-service organisations, faith leaders, emergency services, and other uniformed organisations, have all been invited to lay traditional poppy wreaths and pay their respects at the Cenotaph, along with members of the public.
As always, a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am, with the start and finish of this silence marked by the firing of a maroon.
In order for necessary security checks and safeguards to be carried out, Manchester City Council has confirmed that a series of road closures will be implemented on Remembrance Sunday itself between 7am and 1pm.
The following road closures will be in place:
John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
Princess Street (Cross St to Portland St) with a ‘hard closure’ at Back George St
Cross Street (Princess Street to King Street)
Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street) with a ‘hard closure’ at Watson Street
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Portland Street) with a ‘hard closure’ at Hale Street
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Bootle Street (Deansgate to Mount Street)
Lloyd Street (Deansgate to Southmill)
Jackson’s Row (Deansgate to Southmill)
Central Street (Southmill to Mount Street)
Cooper Street (Kennedy Street to Princess Street)
West Mosely Street (Booth Street to Princess Street)
Clarence Street (Princess Street to Kennedy Street)
Bow Lane (Clarence Street to Princess Street)
St James’s Square (South King Street to John Dalton Street)
Ridgefield (Mulberry Street to John Dalton Street)
A number of other parking suspensions, tram suspensions, taxi rank, and bus lane suspensions will also be in place from as early as 6pm on Saturday 8 November.
You can find out more information about these suspensions on the Council website.
Emily Sergeant -
7th October 2020 
