Music, Art, Poetry and Stuff!
that’s what MAPS is all about. Stuff!

Artistic stuff, Musical stuff, Creative and Happy stuff

The festival’s aim is to support and promote music, art and creativity in the Northern Quarter, and in Manchester as a city, through promotion, enjoyment and involvement of the public in the wide variety of activities encountered in the area.

There’s a HUGE opening party at URBIS with The Dykeenies and Operahouse, and some great headliners, including: Misty's Big Adventure, Thomas Truax, Lowline, Ten Bears, El Policia, Jay Jay Pistolet, Daywalkers, Gideon Conn, The Mekkits, Dieter & The Gadabouts, Teamnoir, & Yellowdog.

Alongside some of Manchester BEST musical maestros, a variety of clubs, bars and eateries are involved, happily joining forces with the MAPS team to promote the arts in the area, whilst local shops like Rags to Bitches and Mr Scruff’s Cup cafe are contributing to the effort too, with discounts and OFFERS available throughout the Festival.

Local artist Stan Chow (www.chinkyafro.com) created the brand and promotional material for the Festival, Cup will host poetry and spoken word events alongside acoustic artists like Kid 4077, House of Haynes is housing fashion exhibitions, and Manchester Craft & Design Centre has exhibitions.

For Folk’s Sake and The Green Room’s Speakeasy are holding poetry and music events, there’s a rock opera from Thingumabob & The Thingimajigs at Moho on Saturday, and Gabriel Minnikin’s 17-piece orchestral wonder hit TV21 on Sunday.

We’ve got great ‘Art & Music’ exhibitions and evenings at Odd Bar and from Manchester muso’s like, Kathryn Edwards, Butler-Williams, Samson & Delilah and Gideon Conn.

The Ruby Lounge will be holding our late night/early morning AFTERPARTY on Sunday, with Fiction Non Fiction DJs, Burlesque Dancers and music from Hard Luck Child and The Brute Chorus which will have the weekends’s entertainment off to a treat.

The Bay Horse pub will look after mellifluous acoustics and our CHILL-OUT BBQ Monday, with the likes of The Yellhounds, Jay Jay Pistolet, Gillan Edgar and The Chimps.

As well as fantastic musical delights that Manchester is so well known for, MAPS is branching out onto the streets for the weekend and creating a carnival atmosphere with circus acts, fire-spinning and street busking.

MAPS has also joined forces with NOISE - a Europe-wide media showcase for young people which offers credible media coverage and the exposure to kick start careers in the creative industries www.noisefestival.com

Incorporating every piece of the delightful creativities listed above, the MAPS organisers want to bring together the different people who spend their lives in and around Manchester’s creative quarter, as well as the businesses and organisations creating and constructing within it.

With 4 days, over 12 venues full of 200 bands, artists and dancers, MAPS promises to be one of the Summer’s best and truest local festivals.