What's On
Full lineup for Manchester’s city-wide summer art trail Music for the Senses announced
It's all set to be a sensational summer of sound.
Emily Sergeant -
25th June 2025 
The full lineup for a city-wide art trail with more than 80 artworks, murals, mosaics, and installations celebrating Manchester’s music scene has been announced.
It’s no secret that Manchester is a musical hub, with countless well-known artists getting their start here or calling our city home over the years, and in a fitting way to celebrate this incredible lineup of musical talent, an all-new multi-sensory art exhibition will be taking over the streets of the city centre this summer.
The new exhibition, which is titled Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city, is a collaboration between global art producer Wild in Art – the creators of the famous Bee in the City project – and Manchester City Council.
It’ll be running across the city centre from early July until the end of August.
Celebrated musical acts including Busted, Doves, Elbow, Mani, New Order, Oasis, PINS, and Pixies have donated precious instruments to display in windows across the city at locations like Aviva Studios, Piccadilly Records, Band on the Wall, New Century, and many more
Manchester artist Liam Hopkins, known as Lazerian, will also create an interactive installation down on King Street called ‘Guitar Street’ that lovingly-repurposes donated guitars, as well as creating another similar how-stopping installation on St Peter’s Square called ‘Cathedral of Sound’ from 7-20 July, before it moves on to Mayfield Park from 25 July – 31 August.
Meanwhile, more guitars donated by the public have been painted or adorned by a talented collection of professional artists, turning them into individual artworks to be displayed in a wide range of shop windows and venues all across the city.
There will also be four brand-new murals by internationally renowned street artists Lei-Mai LeMaow (Etihad Campus tram stop), Nomad Clan (Oxford Road Train Station), and .EPOD and AKSE (Great Northern).
And all along the trail, visitors can get involved with Manchester Music Mooch – an interactive journey through the locations of the grassroots music community, with exciting interactive AR experiences at five locations around the city.
“Manchester has always been a place for music, and we’re delighted to unveil Music for the Senses,” commented Ben Reed, who is the Head of Creative Development at Wild in Art. “It’s our first ever guitar trail, and we think that there is something really magical about repurposing musical instruments into stunning works of art.
“This is also the first time we’ve put together a trail showcasing brand new art while at the same time highlighting some of Manchester’s iconic music-inspired artwork.
“It has enabled us to explore creativity in a range of different art forms, including new murals around the city by some of the very best street artists in the business.”
Read more:
- A new art trail celebrating the city’s music scene will take over Manchester this summer
- Free Glasto-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in GM
- Massive music-filled takeover planned as 1.3m tourists descend on Manchester this summer
When the art trail draws to close at the end of August, all the guitars featured will be auctioned off for charity, with the funds raised going to support grassroots music projects and venues across Greater Manchester.
Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city will run from 7 July – 31 August.
You can find out what else makes up MCR Live ’25 here.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Image — David Oates (via Supplied)
