Auris is Manchester's first dedicated sound art festival. Over three days in October 2026, we bring together performances, installations, soundwalks, talks, workshops and spatial audio across four venues in the Oxford Road Corridor.

The programme features artists working at the edges of listening - from field recording and cymatics to multi-channel composition and site-specific work. Some of it you sit and listen to. Some of it you walk through. Some of it you make yourself.

Auris is produced by Modus Arts, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation working in sound arts, community engagement and heritage.

Auris runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026.

Installations and the spatial audio listening room are open from 10:30 to 18:00 each day. Timed events - performances, talks, workshops and soundwalks - run from late morning until 22:00 on Friday and Saturday, and until 20:00 on Sunday.

The full programme with times and venues is on our Programme page.

•     All performances

•     All talks and workshops

•     All soundwalks

•     The spatial audio listening room

•     All installations

Yes. Day passes are available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, alongside the full weekend pass. We also offer concession and solidarity rates - the solidarity tier is for anyone on a low income, and no proof is required. If cost is a barrier to attending, please get in touch.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite. You'll find the link on our Tickets page and at the bottom of every programme listing.

Early bird passes have now sold out. Standard weekend passes remain available.

If you have any difficulty booking online, email us and we'll help.

Collect your wristband from the festival desk at Seesaw Cafe, open 10:30 to 18:00 each day.

Bring your booking confirmation - on your phone is fine. Your wristband gives you entry to all venues for the days your pass covers, so keep it on for the whole festival.

All our venues sit within Manchester's Oxford Road Corridor, a short walk from both Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations. There's a wide range of accommodation within walking distance, from budget options around Piccadilly to hotels in the city centre. We don't have a partner hotel, so we'd suggest booking early - October is a busy month in Manchester.

Auris is an 18+ festival. Our programme is aimed at adult audiences, and we can't admit under-18s to ticketed events.

If you're looking for sound work for younger listeners, Modus Arts runs SoundHoppers, our deep-listening workshop programme for children aged 5–11. Join our mailing list to hear about future sessions.

Yes. We photograph and film across the festival for documentation, evaluation and future publicity, including our reporting to Arts Council England.

If you'd prefer not to appear, please speak to a member of festival staff - you'll recognise us by our lanyards - and we'll make sure you're not filmed. Signage will indicate which spaces are being recorded.

Yes. Our shop at Seesaw Cafe is open daily from 10:30 to 18:00, alongside the wristband exchange. We'll have festival merchandise and a selection of releases from artists on the programme.

There are a few ways.

Volunteer. We're recruiting a festival volunteer team for October. Volunteers get a festival pass, and it's a good route in if you're interested in working in sound arts or events.

Join our mailing list. The quickest way to hear about open calls, programme announcements and future Modus projects. Sign-up is at the bottom of every page.

Come to a workshop. Several programme events are participatory rather than spectator - the KMR × Dorkbot session runs for six hours on Saturday and you can drop in and out.