Over the last few months, we’ve been busy evaluating our biggest Festival yet. MIF19 saw more than 1,000 ticketed events, drawing record audience numbers and delivering an economic impact of £50m to the city.

Over 18 extraordinary days, Manchester welcomed the world with the seventh edition of the biennial Festival. Artists from more than 20 countries presented world and UK premieres at venues and spaces across the city, attracting over 300,000 visitors, with people coming from all corners of the city, across the UK and from 40 countries worldwide.

Local artists and residents from across the city played a key role in the Festival in greater numbers than ever. The number of volunteers increased to more than 500, while almost 6,000 people were involved in MIF19 engagement activities including workshops, skills development programmes and resident-led public conversations.

A record number of commissions were participatory, placing the people of Manchester and beyond centre stage. Thousands of residents and visitors came together to ring out for peace at Yoko Ono’s opening event BELLS FOR PEACE; 40 city-centre businesses and residents hosted Rimini Protokoll’s transcendent city tour Utopolis Manchester; and Cuban artist Tania Bruguera’s School of Integration saw 104 city residents, hailing from 53 countries become teachers to share their experiences, skills and knowledge with the wider community.

A revamped Festival Square, whose programme of good food and free entertainment attracted its largest-ever numbers – 165,000 – also saw Manchester-based artists take to the hugely popular stage, alongside the likes of Nitin Sawhney, Horace Andy and Laurie Anderson.

Underlining MIF’s commitment to enabling more people to experience the Festival, 35% of all tickets were available at £10 or less to Greater Manchester residents and a further 2,500 were given free via community groups around the city.

Read the full press release