XTRAX has 20 years of knowledge and expertise.
We are based in Manchester with a global reach.
XTRAX has 20 years of experience of programming, managing, and delivering festivals and events in the UK and internationally. We have delivered over 35 international performance showcase events, in partnership with UK and international festivals and Arts Council England, as well as extensive experience of consultancy, festival and event management, programming, producer support to artists, international tour management and strategic support to arts organisations.
XTRAX is recognised as one of the UK’s leading specialists in international outdoor arts development. With a multi-lingual team and a vast network of industry contacts across the UK and internationally (including festival directors, event promoters, professional institutes and artists) XTRAX has vast experience in the strategic development and distribution of outdoor arts internationally.
XTRAX is committed to the accessibility of outdoor arts. Festivals and events of all shapes and sizes can be used to breathe life into towns, cities, parks, villages and public spaces, and reach diverse audiences in large numbers, many of whom would not attend other kinds of arts activity. We know that these types of events can regenerate and revitalise an area, extend tourism seasons, bring new money into the local economy, and bring joy to communities across the country.
XTRAX’s Story
The XTRAX showcase was established in 1997 by Manchester International Arts (MIA) as part of the Streets Ahead Festival, Greater Manchester’s outdoor festival of arts and cultural animation.
Led by MIA Directors Anne Tucker and Jeremy Shine and inspired by some of the large and well established European showcase festivals, XTRAX was set up to attract promoters of venues and festivals from the UK and overseas to Manchester to see the best UK (and some international) performance work with a view to booking it. It was a strategic attempt to create a showcase that would enable artists to sell their work to the specialists who could book it, in the context of a popular street festival.
XTRAX became a separate company in 2001 and began to expand the programme and develop the scope of the showcase and the work of the company. XTRAX ran two showcases of culturally diverse performance in 2003 and 2005 in association with decibel, a Department of Arts Council England.
In its present form, the company works as a street arts development agency running a range of projects and events to support the development of street arts in the UK and has grown in reputation and ambition.
