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Manchester International Festival invites you to design your own piece of next year's event

Manchester International Festival (MIF) is offering you the chance to unleash your creativity by designing your own unique ceramic tile to adorn the bars in Festival Square in the city centre by Manchester Town Hall.

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All photography by [Richard Tymon](https://www.richardtymon.com)

All photography by Richard Tymon

Night on the Tiles is a series of special free-to-attend workshops organised in collaboration with the acclaimed craft collective Standard Practice, who specialise in community-led design. Under the guidance of a professional potter, the tiles they create will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people visiting Festival Square and go on to have a life after MIF19 – details to be revealed.

Those attending the workshops will be treated to music playlists specially compiled by local DJs. Coffee, tea and biscuits will also be available.

"This is a brilliant opportunity for the people of Manchester to show off their creativity and play an important part in MIF19," says Christine Cort, MIF’s Managing Director. "Festival Square is the home of the Festival in the heart of the city and you’ll be designing something that will add to people’s experience of being there. Festival Square is the ideal place to relax, socialise, and soak up the spirit of MIF, with music, performance, and fabulous food and drink."

Hosted by professional Manchester-based potters, Night on the Tiles will be held at Underway in Mayfield, a new creative hub for Manchester where Standard Practice is based. These workshops continue the relationship that MIF has had with the local artist and maker community, which has seen Manchester Metropolitan University students and creatives in the city designing and making chairs, table, light fixtures, bar structures and more, to give Festival Square its unique look and atmosphere.

The home of the Festival in the heart of the city, Festival Square, will be open daily between 4-21 July throughout MIF19, hosting a free programme of live music and talks, with guided walks as well as great food and drink.

Following announcements about Yoko Ono, Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Skepta and Janelle Monáe, the full MIF19 programme is due to be announced in Manchester on 7 March 2019. To go to a Night on the Tiles workshop, you can book tickets at mif.co.uk.

A group of people gather around a wooden table at an evening workshop, with illuminated Christmas trees and string lights framing the outdoor space, whilst someone in a pink top demonstrates pottery work.
Someone pours water from a metal jug into a cup during a Night on the Tiles workshop, with attendees watching in the background
Broken ceramic tile pieces in a clear container during a pottery workshop
Person pouring liquid into a container whilst holding a ceramic tile during a pottery workshop, with blue graffiti visible on the brick wall behind them
Person decorating a ceramic tile during a Night on the Tiles workshop, with craft materials and a palette visible on the wooden table below
Person wearing a yellow knit hat painting a ceramic tile at a workshop table with craft materials and yellow tiles scattered around
Person wearing a pink cardigan holding a black ceramic tile with gold geometric patterns, wearing gold jewellery
Person's hands holding a red apple above ceramic mugs at a wooden table during a Night on the Tiles workshop
Woman in a patterned grey jacket painting a ceramic tile at a wooden table, with a staff mirror and warm lighting visible in the background
A person hand-carves a geometric pattern into a black clay tile during a ceramic workshop
A person wearing a tan cardigan and blue jeans leans over a wooden table, using a tool to work on a ceramic tile during a pottery workshop
People smiling whilst creating ceramic tiles during a Night on the Tiles workshop, with festive decorations visible in the background
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