Free things to do at Manchester International Festival ft. DJs, immersive art & more

Manchester International Festival kicks off this weekend with a wealth of worldly talent descending upon the city and there are a heap of FREE events littered amongst the huge gigs, new shows and world premieres. Here we’ve rounded up six of our favourite freebies…

No End to Enderby at The Whitworth
A World Premiere that celebrates one of Manchester’s most famous sons, Anthony Burgess. Director Graham Eatough and artist Stephen Sutcliffe blend visual art and film drama to honour the man behind ‘A Clockwork Orange’ scribe.
Fri 30 Jun – Sun 16 Jul, 10am – 5pm (Thu 10am – 9pm) The Whitworth, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER. mif.co.uk

Manchester Street Poem at Unfear
Underworld’s Karl Hyde and Rick Smith are curating a performance and installation based upon the stories of the city’s homeless population. To give a voice to the voiceless Hyde will be covering the walls of the Unfear venue on Oldham Street with a powerful soundtrack recorded by Smith.
Thu 6 – Fri 14 Jul, 10am – 6pm, Unfear, 68-70 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE mif.co.uk

Festival Square Outdoor Stage
Running throughout the festival in the hub of Albert Square a number of local and world musicians will be taking to the outdoor stage to entertain the crowds whilst they wait to check out some of the other events. Anlin Xu provides instrumental music from China and Los Firuletes bring Latino tango and gypsy jazz. Closer to home you’ll find Manchester acts such as the folk of Chloe Foy and Invisible Giant, the soul of Mica Miller and Manchester hip hop outfit Family Ranks.
Thu 29 Jun – Sun 16 Jul, 12pm onwards, mif.co.uk

DJs at Festival Square
Every night at the Festival Pavilion erected in Albert Square from 10pm a host of the city’s best DJs and some very special guests will be providing the beats to keep the MIF party going til late. Though guests are yet to be announced the likes of Tim Burgess, Dave Haslam and Hattie Pearson will be in attendance to keep you grooving to the wee small hours.
Fri 30 Jun – Sat 15 Jul, 10pm – late, mif.co.uk

True Faith at Manchester Art Gallery
No celebration of Manchester would be complete without a nod to Joy Division and New Order, and if you were unable to snare tickets to the latter’s show then this might sate your thirst. Matthew Higgs and Jon Savage celebrate four decades worth of extraordinary contemporary works from the likes of Julian Schnabel and Liam Gillick plus performance films, music videos and posters.
Fri 30 Jun – Sun 16 Jul, 10am – 5pm (Thu 10am – 9pm), Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL. mif.co.uk

HOME1947 at The Lowry
Two time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy reflects upon the mass displacement of millions of people when India and Pakistan were created as two new independent states in 1947. Comprised of short dramas and documentary films as well as a gallery installation that recreates a century old house where these refugees might have lived it paints a startling image of the refugee experience through the eyes of those that lived it.
Sat 1 – Sun 9 Jul, 10am – 7pm, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ. www.thelowry.com