Manchester International Festival (MIF) launched in 2007 as the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events. It is an artist-led festival staged every two years, presenting new works from across the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture, at venues and spaces across the city. As well as the biennial festival, MIF will also run and commission a year-round artistic programme for The Factory, a world-class cultural space being built in the centre of Manchester.