Get involved with THE HERDS

This July MIF25 present THE HERDS.

Public art meets climate action in THE HERDS — a monumental migration of puppet animals on a 20,000km journey from the Congo basin to the Arctic Circle. 

Is that an escaped giraffe on Market Street, a hungry baboon on Exchange Square and a hyena in Heywood? Greater Manchester is overrun! 

Roaming through cities in West Africa and Europe, the animals are fleeing north to escape climate disaster. THE HERDS is a visual dramatisation of the climate crisis and a stark warning of what may come if animals are forced to flee their natural habitats. 

Here's how you can get involved.

HERDS: Puppet Building Workshops

Curious about the magic behind the scenes? Handy with a glue gun? Secretly proud of your flatpack furniture skills?

MIF25 are calling on amateur makers, DIY enthusiasts, tinkerers and crafters from across Greater Manchester to help bring THE HERDS to life. In the lead up to the MIF25 opening event, a new group of life-sized puppet animals – including wildebeest, red deer, wolves and vervet monkeys – will be handmade by a dedicated crew of local makers… and you could be one of them.

THE HERDS Half-term Family Workshops

Got a wild one at home? Let’s turn that creative energy into puppet magic with free, drop-in workshops

Looking for something fun to do this half term? Our Let The Wildness In family workshops offer a behind-the-scenes look at THE HERDS.

Callout: Moving THE HERDS

MIF25 are looking for 100 Greater Manchester residents to join a once-in-a-lifetime training and performance opportunity with THE HERDS – a powerful public art project created by The Walk Productions, the world-class creative team behind Little Amal.

From Monday 30 June to Saturday 5 July MIF25 are inviting you to join them and THE HERDS team in a rare chance to learn new puppetry and performance skills through three days of workshops and rehearsals, before performing in three large-scale public events in Manchester City Centre (3 July), Heywood in Rochdale (4 July) and Pennington Flash near Leigh (5 July).