Manchester Day 2026: Company Chameleon with a Catalan twist
24 July 2026This Sunday 26 July 2026, Company Chameleon will take part in Manchester Day, a day of free family fun in the city centre, produced by Walk the Plank and hosted by Manchester City Council.
From 12-5pm, Manchester City Centre will come alive with live music, street shows, have-a-go activities, and the return of its much-loved parade for Manchester Day.
We’re thrilled to be taking part in the event, performing The Ultimate Player’s Handbook which is a co-production between Company Chameleon and Clémentine & Lisard, based in Spain.
The Ultimate Player’s Handbook is commissioned by XTRAX and the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and funded by Arts Council England and Manchester City Council.
For the first time ever, Manchester Day will welcome performers from Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival, who will bring a taste of Catalan culture to the day. Storytelling, books, and imagination will also be woven into the programme, inspired by the National Year of Reading.
It’s the perfect setting for The Ultimate Player’s Handbook which is a vibrant street performance that explores the games we play every day, where rules are made and broken, roles shift between winner and loser, and co-operation is as vital as competition.
Kadafi Mulula, Company Dancer who’s performing at Manchester Day says,
“I think The Ultimate Player’s Handbook is the perfect piece for this celebration. Bringing two companies together from England and Barcelona is such a unique collaboration, and being part of something that connects different cultures through movement brings me so much joy. I can’t wait to share that energy with the people of Manchester.”
The piece transforms a public space into a playground, where teams form, alliances shift, and every move asks us to reflect on the parts we play: on stage, in life, and in the spaces between.
Kadafi continues, “I’m really looking forward to performing at Manchester Day. It’ll be my first time experiencing such an incredible event, and having the opportunity to perform as part of it is a real privilege.
We invite you to join us to watch The Ultimate Player’s Handbook in St Ann’s Square at 1:00pm or 3:25pm, then stay for the Day and enjoy live music, dance and pop-up performances across the city.
The event is free, and there’s no need to book. Find out more HERE.