Factory International

MIF25 Opening Event

THE HERDS

Free to attend – no booking required
A woman in a cap touches the head of a life-sized giraffe puppet made from cardboard and wood, as part of The Herds. The background shows an urban environment with people watching and a scenic view of trees and mountains. A woman in a cap touches the head of a life-sized giraffe puppet made from cardboard and wood, as part of The Herds. The background shows an urban environment with people watching and a scenic view of trees and mountains.
Date
3 - 5 Jul 2025
Venue
Manchester City Centre (3 July), Heywood (4 July) and Leigh (5 July)
Tickets

Manchester City Centre (3 July) – 6pm

Heywood (4 July) and Leigh (5 July) – times TBC

Free to attend – no booking required

Public art meets climate action in THE HERDS – a monumental migration of puppet animals on a 20,000km journey from the Congo basin to the Arctic Circle.

Is that an escaped giraffe on Market Street, a hungry baboon on Exchange Square and a hyena in Heywood? Greater Manchester is overrun!

Roaming through cities in West Africa and Europe, the animals are fleeing north to escape climate disaster. THE HERDS is a visual dramatisation of the climate crisis and a stark warning of what may come if animals are forced to flee their natural habitats.

Encounter the displaced herd in Manchester city centre - accompanied by musicians from Manchester Camerata - for the opening event of MIF25. THE HERDS then makes its way to Heywood in Rochdale and Pennington Flash in Wigan before continuing its journey northwards.

With over 70 life-sized puppets operated by local participants and volunteers in each city, THE HERDS is a public art project on a scale never attempted before – a testament to both the scale of the crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it.

THE HERDS is brought to life by the international team behind Little Amal created by The Walk Productions and led by Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi, and brings together leading artists and arts and educational institutions across Africa and Europe.

Bringing searing questions about the climate crisis to our streets, THE HERDS is a call to action that cannot be ignored.

Manchester International Festival 2025

A bold, artistic graphic with the words "DREAM Differently" in yellow text against a red and pink gradient background with a grainy texture.
MIF is back – inviting you to leap into the unknown with some of the most exciting creative minds of our generation.
Explore the festival →

The Herds – callout for movers and makers

Life-sized puppet of a deer made of cardboard and metal
There are lots of ways you can get involved with THE HERDS – from making puppets to taking part in a wild performance!
Find out more →

Credits

THE HERDS Greater Manchester is produced by The Walk Productions in partnership with Factory International.

Greater Manchester events delivered in association with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency, and Wigan Council.

MIF25 Opening Event created in partnership with Manchester Camerata.

THE HERDS puppets are designed by Ukwanda Puppets & Designs Art Collective (Luyanda Nogodlwana, Siphokazi Mpofu, Sipho Ngxola), Craig Leo, Simon Dunckley, Hansie Visagie, Tundra Dunckley and Amir Nizar Zuabi.

Image: Ant Strack

Access information

THE HERDS takes place in Manchester City Centre, Heywood and Leigh. More details about the routes will be available nearer the time.

More details about the facilities at each location will be available nearer the time

Assistance dogs are welcome at these events.

Step-free and wheelchair accessible routes will be available. More details about the routes and facilities will be available nearer the time.

One-on-one audio description is available for the MIF25 Opening Event on 3 July, and will be delivered by our trained volunteers. If you have any questions about audio description for this event, please call our team on 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org.

We will be producing a What To Expect Guide for this event. It will be available from 5 June.

Travel information

THE HERDS takes place in Manchester City Centre, Heywood and Leigh.

More details about the routes will be available nearer the time.

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