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. 

Encounter the displaced herd in Manchester city centre — accompanied by musicians from Manchester Camerata - for the opening event of MIF25. THE HERDS then makes its way to Heywood in Rochdale and Pennington Flash in Wigan before continuing its journey northwards.

With over 70 life-sized puppets operated by local participants and volunteers in each city, THE HERDS is a public art project on a scale never attempted before — a testament to both the scale of the crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it. 

THE HERDS is brought to life by the international team behind Little Amal created by The Walk Productions and led by Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi, and brings together leading artists and arts and educational institutions across Africa and Europe. 

Bringing searing questions about the climate crisis to our streets, THE HERDS is a call to action that cannot be ignored. 

This event is free to attend, with no booking required!

Dates / Times / Locations: 

Manchester City Centre (3 July) - 6pm

Heywood (4 July) - time TBC

Leigh (5 July) - time TBC