How to make a festival

Fiona McGarva and John Owens, founders of Design Manchester discuss what it takes to launch a festival from scratch

Design Manchester, the annual festival dedicated to design and creativity, is now a cornerstone of the city’s cultural calendar. Ahead of announcing details of its fourth edition, which takes place in October this year, we talk to co-founders Fiona McGarva and John Owens about what it takes to launch a festival from scratch, what they’ve learned over the course of three events – and where DM is heading in 2016