Birmingham Festival 23 Centenary Square, 28 July-6 AugustAfter successfully hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games last summer, Birmingham is striving to keep that sporting and cultural legacy alive with a free jamboree in the city’s Centenary Square. As well as a gigantic screen and live music stage, the 10-day festival will feature promenade performances, participatory workshops and special takeover days by local cultural organisations including south Asian arts boosters Sampad and carnival specialists ACE Dance and Music. The organisers’ aim? To “conjure the shared moments, magic and memories of 22”. The full programme will be announced on 28 June. Manchester International festivalVarious venues, 29 June-16 JulyAlongside its attention-grabbing big-ticket shows, this biennial event has always featured a packed programme of free entertainment in Festival Square. That cultural hub has relocated for 2023 – it is now sited outside the landmark new Factory International venue – and its riverside open-air stage will host more than 190 artists, bands and DJs over the festival run, including funk-punk veterans A Certain Ratio, South African sensation Nakhane and avant-poppers the …

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