For Commissioners: All you need to know in one place.

What is the Midnight Run?

Founded in 2005 by Inua Ellams, The Midnight Run is a walking, arts-filled, night-timecultural journey through urban spaces. It gathers strangers and local artists/activists to explore, play and create whilst the city sleeps.

WheRe have theRe been MnRuns?

Most have been in London but many others in Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Florence, Perth and more. This 3 min film sheds more light…

What does it look & feel like?

Expansive & inclusive! This 6 min film sheds more light, and there are many more here.

To mark our 10 year anniversary in 2015, we held events in Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Paris and London. The London event was particularly special. We started four simultaneous events in the four corners of London working with The Roundhouse, The Almeida, The Albany and The Bush with over 120 participants. UNESCO was our official partner and 50% of proceeds were donated to charity.

WhY does it WoRk?

A consequence of globalisation is the decline of clearly identifiable communities, which further splinters into solitiary lives. The Midnight Run cuts through fast-paced lonely-living in cities to create interactive engagement with new people and new environments, through inclusive participatory art-forms. It slows everything right down to the simple pleasures of walking, sharing and talking.

hoW does it WoRk?

The Midnight Run facilitator plans the route in consultation with local artists, arts organisation, festival organisers and or the commissioning body. The planning begins months before digitally (email, phone, maps) and physically (walking the streets). 12hour events 6am to 6pm typically begin on a Saturday to end on Sunday morning in warmer months, and 6hour events 6pm to 12pm can happen any day, any time of year.

WhY do You invite local aRtists?

Local artists are the life and soul of cities! They have unique ways of seeing both the world and the areas and spaces they inhabit. The Midnight Run works by collaboration; the MNR Team oversee and support planning, our facilitator curates the route and the local artists carefully plan each activity. We document the event through photography, film or illustration… as a creative tasks set for the Midnight Runners or separately.

hoW ManY people coMe?

35 is the ideal number for engagement, group dynamics and road safety.

hoW does it benefit the localitY?

The Midnight Run is about creating a small mobile community and finding space for personal relationships and experiences to grow. During the event, participants animate their urban spaces and places and engage with their local artists, creating greater community cohesion. After the event, participants continue their conversations, develop newly formed friendships and share the outcomes of creative tasks from the MNRun though social media. The documentation captures these new uses of local spaces and encourages those who were not on the MNRun to see their city and urban spaces with new eyes.

With the growing market in alternative exploration of cities, we are developing mechanisms to publish each MNR route so participants can walk them again with friends, or a local tourist board / arts company can recommend the route to visitors of the city. We are really interested in discussing this with partners, sponsors, clients and funders.

hoW does the MnR benefit MY aRts oRganisation, toWn oR festival?

The Midnight Run works best in collaboration with arts organisations, councils or festivals local to the city. The Midnight Run can be curated to reflect the organisation’s interest, to explore an area determined by a conic, or created in response to a festival’s theme. Specifically for the venue, The Midnight Run provides a unique opportunity to:

• 1. CREATE a new relationship with existing / new audiences.

• 2. RAISE profile of your organisation with this cross-art form event.

• 3. CELEBRATE and activate engaging arts activities within your local area.

• 4. PROVIDE a new challenges for artists regularly engaged with.

• 5. ENGAGE artistically with local business, companies and venues.

hoW Will We collaboRate?

• 1. The Midnight Run team will create the MNR with you in response to a local event, season or theme.

• 2. Together, we will devise a marketing strategy to sell tickets.

• 3. We will work together to select local artists you suggest for the Run.

• 4. We will hunt for exciting spaces to visit during the MNR however we welcome suggestions of places, events & spaces to incorporate into the event, and welcome introductions to the gatekeepers.

• 5. We ask that you provide 1 - 2 volunteers to assist on the evening of the event, and that you provide a photographer or filmmaker to document the event.

hoW Much should tickets be?

Ticket prices vary and are set the price in collaboration with commissioners. Usually they range from £15 - £25 or currency equivalents. Participants are asked to bring extra cash for meals and MNR souvenirs. We also try to secure free gifts and food for MNRunners, where possible.

planning & the teaM:

A typical MNR Team includes: 35 participants // 1 MNR facilitator // 1/2 supporters/ushers // 1 Photographer or Filmmaker // 4 or 5 Local artists. These could be poets, actors, dancers, chefs, puppeteers, storytellers, illustrators, graffiti artists guerrilla gardeners, social activists, scientist and any celebrated artist or artform synonymous with the city.

COST. the Midnight Run.

Planning and executing a successful Midnight Run is no small thing. A shorter, 6hr Midnight Run takes up to 2 months to plan and a 12hr Midnight Run can take up to 6months. The cost varies between £2,500 up to £6,000 depending on location, prep time and other factors. This fee covers research and route planning, all artist fees, time for the Artistic Director (Inua Ellams) to feed into the creative shape of the Run, the producing team to manage the overview and logistics, marketing support and sometimes this can include photography/filming of the event. Costs outside of the UK are priced similarly to the above (but take into consideration local rates) with travel and accommodation (and a travel day) as additional costs.

otheR events

The Midnight Run also runs workshops with artists supplied from our experienced and diverse pool of contemporary practitioners across different fields. Our founder, Inua Ellams, offers talks on the creation of The Midnight Run. Typically lasting an hour, and filled with poetry and photography, it is a humorous insight into the cultural background and working mind of this successful author, poet and activist. His talk can also be extended to a workshop where Inua takes participants through the steps of creating a Midnight Run, and guides them in designing their own ideal MNR events.

teaM-building & aWaY daYs:

The philosophy of The Midnight Run can be tailored, mapped and themed to any community or organisation. It is a perfect and cost effective team-building experience… just bring the people, we will handle everything else. We need no specific buildings or locations as we are constantly on the move and the city will take care of itself.

WHAT NEXT?

Before getting in touch – consider if you are ready to book on to a Run or if you would like to have a further conversation. We are always around for a quick chat to check dates and book a provisional Run in, but a more in-depth conversation, in other words, a consultancy costs £40. We only charge to cover our time and if you book the Run, it will be deducted from your fee.

MNR was conceived as a way to take back the streets for art and collaboration. We are dedicated to the continued exploration of this cultural arts movements across the globe. If you don’t have budget for the in-depth conversation but are based in an area that is in need of social or political change, or are working with challenged communities, let us know and we will make sure to find the time to talk.

Contacts:

We look forward to hearing from you, do not hesitate to reach out to us:

Georgina Bednar / Producer / georgina@themnr.com