Horizons Festival 2026

A free global arts festival in the heart of Manchester

Horizons Festival is a free 2-day global arts festival in the heart of Manchester - A summer weekend packed with shows, live music events, creative family activities, global cinema, workshops, standup comedy and pressing discussions.

Taking place as part of Refugee Week, the programme centres stories of Mancunian artists and communities with global stories. Each year, Horizons curators seek out new artistic voices from Greater Manchester to bring local contemporary stories of migration to the public through new creative work.

By honouring these layered histories and commissioning artists to shape their own narratives, Horizons celebrates migration not only as movement, but as a unique personal story and relationship to belonging, resilience, and creative practice.

Horizons Festival is curated by HOME and Community Arts North West (CAN) in collaboration with the Arts & Migration Group and is proudly supported by The Evan Cornish Foundation.

Come along and join in with our city’s long-held tradition of celebrating international cultures and creativity.

Check this page to see what events are taking place at HOME over the course of Horizons festival. We will be announcing new events and activities soon!

Horizons Festival news and blogs

A closer look at the film selection process for Horizons Festival 2026