Festival Square – Saturday 15 July

Saturday brings youth, joy and an explosion of colour with Factory International’s Kusama Fashion Show put together by fifty young people in Manchester. Wear your wildest clothes for a show curated by Darren Pritchard in homage to global sensation Yayoi Kusama. The perfect prelude to visiting her MIF23 exhibition You, Me and Balloons.

Kicking off the music for the day is NIA choir – a woman’s soul, R&B and blues group. Marcus Hercules & The Ruff Neck Band jam to old-school reggae and Balmy Army mix things up with a talk on youth-led mental health, art and activism. Expect smooth Afro and Latin beats from Shaq Rayes before Factory Sounds presents a DJ set from emerging drum and bass producer Rohaan.

As the sun goes down, creative collective Daytimers take over with an energy-packed line-up of British South Asian talent. A debut performance from Samrai features a whole host of live guests including SCAPA, Joey B, Fox, Pops Roberts, LINTD and Vindya. Next up is Vindya ft Mithushan with the second ever live performance of a brand-new piece that fuses Sri Lankan Konnakol and techno.

Stay for a wild night reminiscent of the legendary daytime parties of the 80s and 90s featuring Taxi Cab Industries, Trayner, G33 and Chandé B2B with Rizmi.