Manchester International Festival attracted 325,000 visitors

Yayoi Kusama's You, Me and the Balloons was the most visited event during the festival

A biennial arts festival attracted 325,000 visitors and generated nearly £40m, councillors have been told.

Manchester International Festival (MIF) brought £39.2m to Manchester, a council report has revealed.

A record 428 people from across the area participated as festival volunteers, the report added.

The council's deputy leader Luthfur Rahman said 2023 was "a stand-out year" for culture in Manchester.

He added: "MIF23 had a big part to play in this."

Mr Rahman said: "From visitor spend and audience numbers to volunteer hours and the number of amazing opportunities for local artists, residents and young people to get involved, together with a world-class programme of new work to see and enjoy, the festival delivers on every front."

The festival saw a range of acts perform

The report celebrated the fact that 47% of those who attended the festival were visiting for the first time compared to 40% in 2021 and 36% in 2019.

More than half of those first time visits were to Yayoi Kusama's You, Me and the Balloons immersive inflatable artworks exhibition, with 127,000 visitors making it the most popular attraction of the festival.

The exhibition was also the inspiration for more than 1,160 children from 25 schools across Greater Manchester involved in creative activities including a project culminating in a fashion show in Festival Square.

MIF 2023 saw the opening of the flagship Aviva Studios.