Visitor Information

Quaytickets is the Festival’s official box office partner and sells tickets for all Festival events (subject to availability), operating a basket function so you can buy tickets for more than one event in a single transaction.

The individual event pages on this website will direct you to the best source of tickets online or by phone. Ticket prices are the same at all outlets. Transaction fees may vary.

Bookings made at venues can be made with cash, card or cheque. For other in person payment methods please check the venue’s website.

Many Festival events in 2009 sold out, so we strongly recommend booking in advance.

Box Office: 0161 876 2198
www.mif.co.uk

There are no per ticket booking fees on any Festival tickets; the ticket price is the same from all official ticket agents and venues. You will pay a per transaction fee which is a one off charge regardless of how many tickets you book in the one transaction. The Festival Box Office charges £2, venue fees may vary.

A £1 restoration levy is included for all events in ATG venues – the Palace Theatre and Manchester Opera House.

The Festival offers a discount on tickets to Seniors (60+), Children (u16), Students in full time education, Job Seekers and Disabled on most events. These are strictly limited and subject to availability.

Tickets are sold as non-refundable. The Festival does take into consideration extenuating circumstances and any requests under this should be directed to boxoffice@mif.co.uk where we look at each case individually. Tickets bought directly from venues or other agents are strictly non-refundable.

We are happy to facilitate exchanges made via the Festival Box Office for a £2.00 fee per transaction. Tickets must be returned to Quaytickets with a covering letter including a contact phone number. They will then contact you to complete the exchange. Where there is a difference in price you will need to pay the difference. We are unable to give partial refunds. Tickets bought directly from venues or other agents are strictly non-exchangeable.

If you have lost your tickets, we can issue duplicate tickets for a reserved seating event from an hour before the performance at the venue. Please go to the Festival Box Office counter which will be clearly marked in the foyer or entranceway. You will need to provide your surname, postcode and the reference number of the booking. Please also bring photo ID with you.

Please note, General Admission Unreserved Tickets cannot be reprinted.

The Festival brochure is available as a downloadable PDF. Large print format brochures are available on request from info@mif.co.uk

Audio Described Performances
Victoria Wood – That Day We Sang
Sat 9 July 14:30

11 Rooms – Group Show
Thu 14 July 10:30 – 13:00

The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
Thu 14 July 19:30

BSL Interpreted Performances
Paul Heaton – The 8th
Thu 7 July 20:00

Johnny Vegas
Wed 13 July 21:30

Victoria Wood – That Day We Sang
Sat 16 July 14:30

For detailed access information and if you would like to book a wheelchair space, please contact the following venues directly. By clicking on the blue links, you’ll be directed to the venue’s access pages.

The Bridgewater Hall
Wagner – Die Walküre; Rickie Lee Jones
0161 907 9000
box@bridgewater-hall.co.uk

The Lowry
The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
0161 876 2198
info@thelowry.com

Opera House
Victoria Wood – That Day We Sang
0161 245 6605
manchesterboxoffice@theambassadors.com

Palace Theatre
Doctor Dee
0161 245 6605
manchesterboxoffice@theambassadors.com

O2 Apollo Manchester
Snoop Dogg

Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama
Mark Andre

Manchester Art Gallery
11 Rooms

Chetham’s School of Music
Alina Ibragimova /The Quay Brothers

Whitworth Art Gallery
1395 Days without Red & Projections
Whitworth Art Gallery aims to be accessible to visitors with disabilities. Wheelchairs, rollators, seating, free portable stools are available on request. There is a toilet for disabled visitors. Low lighting in most galleries. The lecture theatre is fitted with an induction loop. Large print information is available. Guide Dogs are welcome. If you require assistance during your visit, please email whitworth@manchester.ac.uk telephone 0161 275 7450 or ask at the Welcome Desk.

The following venues are site specific. If you would like to book a wheelchair space, please call Quaytickets on 0161 876 2198.
For any other access queries regarding these venues, please call Katie Vine on 0161 238 7339.

Campfield Market Hall
Bjork

Shree Radha Krishna Mandir, New Testament Church of God, Manchester Central Mosque, Gurdwara Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji, Manchester Reform Synagogue
Sacred Sites

MediaCityUK
Music Boxes, The Crash of the Elysium

New Century Hall
Eclipse – Amadou & Mariam

The Tunnel, Great Bridgewater Street
WU LYF

All Festival venues on Albert Square are fully wheelchair accessible.

Disabled Parking in Manchester

Please see links to Manchester City Council’s list of disabled parking bays, number of parking bays available at each location and a map.

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory/54/disabled_parking

Click here for a map of the City Centre showing all parking available including multi storey car parks

Manchester is the cultural heart of England, internationally renowned for its passion for music and sport. The city centre is the only place in the world where you can buy tea blended by a famous DJ, eat at restaurants frequented by the world’s most famous football team, and sleep in the building where Charles Rolls met Henry Royce. Everyone who visits Manchester can enjoy not only a diverse cultural scene but also experience shopping at its best, an eclectic and vibrant nightlife and quality accommodation for every budget.

Manchester Visitor Information Centre
Piccadilly Plaza
Portland Street
Manchester M1 4BT
+44 (0)871 222 8223
www.visitmanchester.com

Opening hours:
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 17:30
Sun 10:30 – 16:30

By Train
For all train times and fares, visit National Rail.

There are four key train stations in Manchester city centre – Deansgate, Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria.

Virgin Trains travel to destinations all around the UK. Three trains run between London and Manchester every hour; a journey that takes just over two hours.

First TransPennine Express operates direct train services into Manchester from across the north of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow and direct services into Manchester city centre from Manchester Airport.

CrossCountry Trains run services to Manchester from Birmingham, the South West, Bournemouth, Reading and Cardiff.

Northern Rail enables you to travel easily between Manchester’s nearby cities and the surrounding countryside in the North of England. Rail services provide direct access to National Parks, including The Peak District and The Lake District.

By Coach
National Express and Megabus run coaches from major cities in the UK to Manchester.

By Air
From Manchester Airport, trains to the city centre run every 15 minutes into Piccadilly train station; the average journey time is 20 minutes. Alternatively you can jump into a taxi to the city centre.

Car sharing
Car sharing allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst alleviating the associated problems of congestion and pollution. With more cars on the road, car sharing has become more popular. Joining a car sharing scheme can save you money and benefit the environment.
www.nationalcarshare.co.uk
www.liftshare.com/uk

On foot
Manchester is easily explored on foot, with plenty of pedestrian-only zones. It is possible to traverse the main city centre within around 20 minutes, end-to-end.

GMPTE offers the most comprehensive and up to date travel information for public transport across greater Manchester including a journey planning facility and timetable information. It also provides a Traveline phone service for up to date travel detail on 0871 200 2233. (Calls cost 10p per minute, some providers may charge an additional tariff).

Greener Travel
Transportdirect is an excellent website which offers alternative journey details, including directions, cost and time taken, as well as calculating your carbon emissions. It also holds real time travel information for buses, trains and roads.

Free Manchester city centre Metroshuttle Bus
Metroshuttles are free buses linking the main rail stations, car parks, shopping areas and businesses in Manchester city centre. Metroshuttle buses run from Piccadilly, Salford Central, Victoria, oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations. There are three circular routes covering the main areas in the city centre.
Metroshuttle operates from 7am – 7pm Mon – Sat and 10am – 6pm on Sun and runs approximately every 10 minutes.

Parking
For a wide choice of car parks across the region, car park operator NCP has a car park finder tool.

Metrolink
The Metrolink trams runs every 5 mins from Bury, Altrincham and Eccles into Manchester city centre, connecting all major railway stations and tourist attractions.

Bike
Manchester is a cycle-friendly city with many marked cycle lanes and dedicated routes throughout the city centre and beyond.
Information, news and advice about cycling in greater Manchester can be found at
www.cyclegm.org

Bus
Transdev Lancashire
Stagecoach
First Buses