So these are the major events organised by the Manchester International Festival - I’ve picked out a few of the more interesting-sounding events in bold:

Shows and Events:

• Monkey: Journey to the West - 21st century circus opera, based on an ancient Chinese legend
• The Ground Beneath Her Feet - The largest UK orchestral commission of 2007
• For All the Wrong Reasons - A new theatre production
• The Pianist - Stage production of famous memoirs with concert pianist
• Kapital - Cinematic look at the hidden voices of every city
• Dead Wedding - Cult puppetry company reinterprets ancient myth
• Il Tempo del Postino - A Group Show from some of the world’s leading visual artists
• Carlos Acosta - First visit to Manchester and world premiere of the Tocororo Suite

International Music Series

• Lou Reed: Berlin
• Kanye West
• PJ Harvey
• Bert Jansch with Beth Orton and Bernard Butler
• Happy Mondays with special guests
• The Fall
• The Blue Nile
• Carlos Acosta
• Ojos de Brujo
• Orchestral Suite by William Orbit
• Happy Mondays with special guests
• The Cunning Little Vixen and Alphabicycle

Debates Series

• Slavery in Our Time - Symposium commemorating 200th anniversary of the abolition of The Slave Trade
• The Guardian Debates - Series of high profile, engaging debates
• Festival Futures - Thought-provoking seminars examining issues of our time
• The Manchester Debate - Is TV good for society?

Here’s the full events calendar, including dates and venues. I notice most of it is focussed around the Oxford Road corridor: Cornerhouse, Green Room, Library Theatre, Academy, The Ritz, Contact Theatre etc.

But they are also using a few other interesting venues: the Town Hall, Kro Piccadilly, The Temple, Science and Industry Museum, Zion Arts Centre, Central Library, for example.

What do we think then? Some seriously impressive coups, or festival for festival’s sake?