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The Manchester International Festival kicks off in style this month, with the world premiere of groundbreaking circus opera Monkey: Journey to the West and a host of other unmissable world firsts.
Manchester is buzzing this summer, as a dizzying number of leading artists, high-profile art critics and enthusiastic art lovers from around the world descend on the city for the inaugural Manchester International Festival (June 28 to July 15). Here are this month's highlights:
To book tickets for these events, visit www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com or call 0871 230 1888.
Lou Reed
Rock legend Lou Reed performs his seminal album 'Berlin' live for the first time ever in the UK.
Manchester Apollo, June 29. £39.50 - £48.50.
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
The world premiere of the adaptation of Salman Rushdie's epic novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet into a full-length concert piece. Composed by Victoria Borisova-Ollas and featuring a new film directed by Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas, Internal Affairs), this timeless rock'n'roll romance will be performed by the multi-award-winning Hallé orchestra, conducted by Mark Elder.
The Bridgewater Hall, June 29. £8 - £33.
Slavery in our Time: Symposium
Although slavery was abolished in the UK 200 years ago, there remain over 27 million slaves in the world. This symposium brings together leading experts on the cultural and social legacy of the slave trade, and the impact and challenges of its contemporary manifestations. Speakers include Professor Kevin Bales, Professor Paul Gilroy and Peter Sellars.
Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, June 30. £5.
Manchester Dines
Manchester International Festival celebrates the city's culinary culture with a free event showcasing the diverse range of international cuisine available on our doorstep. Chefs from a number of prestigious restaurants will be cooking for hundreds of diners over the festival's first weekend.
Outside the Festival Pavilion, Manchester Central, June 30 - July 1. Free. Book your place via the festival website.
Monster
This new play by Duncan Macmillan won second prize in last year's Bruntwood Playwriting Competition. Set in modern day England - a country of ASBOs, hoodies and happy slapping - it deals with the relationships between teachers and pupils, young and old, and asks whether people can still reach out to each other.
The Studio, Royal Exchange Theatre, June 28 - July 7. £9.
Monkey: Journey to the West
The launch event of the first Manchester International Festival is a very modern circus opera based on the ancient Chinese legend of Monkey King. Adapted and directed by Chen Shi-Zheng, the show features Chinese vocalists, circus acrobats and martial artists. It also carries the mark of the two artists behind award-winning virtual band Gorillaz - the music has been composed by Damon Albarn, while the visual concept, set design and costumes are the work of Jamie Hewlett.
Palace Theatre, June 28 - July 7. £10 - £42.50.
For All The Wrong Reasons
The new work from Lies Pauwels, Victoria (Belgium), one of the rising stars of European theatre, combines theatre and dance to confront us with big issues in a surprisingly straightforward way.
Contact Theatre, June 30 - July 14. £8 - £10.
Heston Blumenthal: Chilled Summer Treats
Culinary whizz Heston Blumenthal will be challenging diners' experience of contemporary cooking, with a range of radically innovative food combinations.
Festival Pavilion, Manchester Central, June 30 to July 15. Chilled summer treats individually priced.
Queen and Country
Turner Prize-winning artist Steve McQueen pays tribute to the British men and women who have lost their lives in the Iraq conflict, with a series of postage stamp sheets featuring photographic portraits of the deceased.
Central Library, St Peter's Square, until July 15. Free.
The Pianist
Acclaimed British theatre director Neil Bartlett presents the world premiere of the theatre version of The Pianist, based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, about one man's time in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation. The play, which will feature internationally renowned concert pianist Mikhail Rudy, will be staged in a warehouse attic at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Museum of Science and Industry, June 30 - July 15. £25.
Manchester: Peripheral - Futuresonic
Part of the festival's Manchester Firsts strand, which celebrates new and innovative work by Manchester-based artists, Manchester: Peripheral remixes and replays the sounds of Manchester. At its heart is an audio-visual installation in Piccadilly Gardens that mixes sounds of street musicians, interviews with residents, local rappers and ambient noises to create a soundclash of lives, voices and music from Manchester's contemporary urban environment.
Kro Piccadilly, Piccadilly Gardens, June 29 - July 29. Free.