Manchester International Festival 2025

- Various venues

THE HERDS arrive in Paris on it's journey from Africa to the Arctic Circle. THE HERDS is a work of public art and climate action designed to ignite a renewed bond with the natural world. From April to August 2025, life-size puppet animals are sweeping through city centres on a 20,000km journey from Kinshasa in the Congo Basin to Tondheim in the Norway, fleeing climate disaster.  The journey started with 15 animals and has grown gradually since. By the time they crossed from Morocco to Spain, THE HERDS was 25 animals and in Paris THE HERDS was the biggest yet: 100 puppeteers puppeteering 40 animals. New animals have been added as THE HERDS have moved, including Vervet Monkeys in Nigeria, gazelles in Morocco.  Wolves will be added in central Europe and reindeer in Scandinavia. The Herds production team say - 'We began discussing idea of THE HERDS in early 2022, soon after our first journey with Little Amal. Whilst walking with Amal we encountered many refugees and migrants who were leaving their homes because of climate change. Our aim was to create an emotional reaction to the climate crisis. We believe that awe and beauty is the missing spark that leads us from curiosity to change. ' The cities included on THE HERDS journey are: - Kinshasa (DRC)
Lagos (Nigeria)
Dakar (Senegal)
Agafay, Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat (Morocco)
San Fernando and Madrid (Spain)
The Camargue, Marseille, Arles, Paris (France)
Venice (Italy)
London, Manchester, Wigan, Rochdale (UK)
Aarhus, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Stockholm (Sweden)
Trondheim (Norway) 
THE HERDS began their journey in Kinshasa on 9 April and will have their final public event in Trondheim on 30 June 2025, with details of their final steps in the Arctic Circle to be revealed. Paris, France. Photograph by David Levene 21/6/25

Manchester International Festival 2025
Various venues
Thu 3rd - Sun 20th Jul, 2025

Prices vary

Dream Differently at Manchester International Festival this summer. MIF returns to the city, taking over Aviva Studios and locations all across Greater Manchester, inviting all to ‘experience art that pushes boundaries, addresses the big questions of our time and creates hope for the future’. Through the years, MIF has invited some of the greatest artists on the planet to Manchester, a tradition that continues this summer.

This year, stand out events include The Herds – where a stampede of life-sized animal puppets take over the city to open the festival – and Football City, Art United, an exhibition curated by Juan Mata, with the likes of Ella Toone, Edgar Davids and Eric Cantona all involved, where the beautiful game meets art in a series of innovative activations. The festival is bursting with performances and workshops spanning the worlds of theatre, music and art, and we can’t wait to get stuck in.

manchester international festival

Interested in more events?

Sign up to our newsletter