Late-night venues and neon-lit clubs are places for hedonistic discovery and gloriously debauched nights. This is something the UK does best, and is at the very heart of this year’s 6 Music Festival.
Greater Manchester has been the home of the 6 Music Festival since 2023. Over the years the 6 Music Festival has welcomed then up-and-comers from CMAT, Loyle Carner and Ezra Collective to Mogwai and Young Fathers.
This year’s 6 Music Festival takes place 25-28 March across some of Manchester’s most hallowed venues. Over the long weekend, Band on the Wall will host the likes of Kelly Lee Owens, Bloc Party and The Horrors while Yard Act, Mandy, Indiana and more will take to the stage at Oxford Road’s YES.
“It made sense to base our flagship live event in the area,” says Cam Pia, festival lead and editor of the 6 Music team. “Manchester is renowned for its incredible music scene so it’s always a joy to shine a light on that.”
In Cam’s own words, the 6 Music Festival “focuses on independent grassroots venues,” which is a “key part” of the editorial for 6 Music Festival 2026. But the festival is also about supporting emerging talent and an independent spirit, something Cam believes represents UK festivals as a whole.
“With festivals, there’s so much choice and some really exciting, groundbreaking programming put on by DIY promoters that nicely complements what is happening at the bigger, more established events,” says Cam. “It gives new artists a platform to develop and hone their craft before live audiences, which is invaluable when you’re starting out.”
The festival also stretches to the town of Eccles, Greater Manchester, for a unique showcase. On Saturday 28 March, a partnership between the 6 Music Festival and live production company Fat OuT will bring Lauren Auder, Naima Bock and R. AGGS to the Eccles Town Hall Ballroom, as part of the Get In! To Eccles programming (more on that later).
While we rightfully laud the UK’s many independent venues and the memories we make within their walls, the same experiences aren’t usually found in the buildings we walk past every day. Few have found true enlightenment in a dreary office cubical and it’s rare that minds are forever altered in what was formerly a town centre opticians. But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. From 28-29 March, the community festival Get In! To Eccles is reimagining what a ‘normal’ space can be through music, culture and community.
Eccles may arguably be best known for small, currant-filled cakes, but its history stretches far beyond sweet treats. It powered industrial revolutions, delivered textiles to the masses and, despite facing challenges of the modern day, continues to move forward through vibrant community spirit. But like many towns that neighbour major cities Eccles is somewhat culturally overlooked, but through Get In! To Eccles its creative output is being proudly showcased.
Across the two-day free weekender punters can challenge grandmasters at the Eccles Community Chess Club and join live bands for belting karaoke sessions. Immersive installations take over the town’s shopping centre as traditional folk bands dance amongst the diners in Greek restaurants. Churches host live performance and collage workshops while the streets and alleyways become hubs of expression. The weekend is not just about bringing great musicians and artists to Eccles, but showcasing the people who make Eccles what it is.
“It’s always really important that culture isn’t just for cities,” says Emma Thompson. Emma is the founder of FaT OuT and director of production company From the Other, the team behind Get In! To Eccles. Emma has been at the helm of delivering festivals such as Swinton Sounds and the newly launched Stockport festival Sidelines in the north west. Through that, much of her work is not only about cultivating cultural clout within Manchester, but beyond it.
“If you live in a town surrounding a big city like Manchester there’s still a barrier for people there to experience culture,” she says. “You have to travel in to a city centre and you might have kids. That can be quite challenging. Whether it’s a music show or an installation, it’s important for us to bring events you’d see in a city centre into these suburban spaces.“
There’s a natural ripple effect when it comes to bringing culture into local areas. Some benefits are obvious. Breaking down the barriers of cost and travel means you welcome more diverse audiences from disparate backgrounds. And the more people can experience on their doorsteps, the more people are welcomed into what can feel like an exclusive world. “I think if you can experience an event in your area, you might be more inclined to believe that these experiences are for you,” says Emma. “It’s exciting for people to see what spaces are out there for them.“
Through these hyperlocal events overlooked spaces can be revitalised says Emma, who points to her work on Salford’s Sounds from the Other City (SFTOC) festival as an example. Since 2005, SFTOC has celebrated the unconventional charm of Salford city through a multi-venue festival held in unconventional venues and makeshift clubs. “The model of using spaces within walking distance is what we do,” she says. “We want to make sure that the local people coming to it feel welcome and show that there are things for them to do, but an important part of this is to bring people into places who might not have been before.”
There is an obvious bonus to having a major name like the 6 Music Festival as a partner for your weekender. It’s a valuable asset to have, but not something that every festival can enjoy. That’s not to say you need a big name partner to bring culture to local people though.
What you will need though is a venue, and there’s plenty out there. In the same way disused factories became hives of dancefloor activity in the 90s, today vacant high street shops can be transformed into rave caves. While COVID may not have quite made the 9 to 5 obsolete, the many vacant office blocks caused by the pandemic are now art galleries in the waiting. “These places are crying out for creativity“, Emma says.
“If you want to do something in your local area, then just do it,” she adds. “There are so many success stories that grow from people who just started doing something in their local area. It’s not too much work to find a PA or a venue that’s being underutilised.That can be the back of a pub, a church, a community hall or a restaurant. You can see any space as a venue.“
Organisers need to be conscious their events represent the areas they’re calling home for three days and nights. “We can’t just dump our ideas on to people. We need to have a local voice and local support within the curation,” says Emma. Building something outside of your typical city centre cultural hub also comes with some unique benefits not shared by city-dwelling competitors, thinks Emma. “With a more local event, because there’s not as many of them, you’re not competing with the 20-plus events happening in a place like central Manchester every weekend,” she says.
But in a typical story of what estate agents may brand as ‘suburban regeneration’, these efforts can have repercussions. “You often find that artists will move in, makes those four walls beautiful and exciting and turn them into places that people want to go to. Then the property developers move in,” says Emma.
Those bringing culture to their communities shouldn’t be deterred by council officials and unscrupulous estate agents though. Quite the opposite. Even brief moments can have a lasting impact, sometimes across generations. “Even if you have somewhere for a year or 18 months, you can still generate a lot of excitement,” says Emma. “If you can provide something creative and exciting for people, it shows that when money is invested in an area then something special can happen. You can breathe new life into underutilised spaces and show them to people who may not have been there for over 30 years. That’s something quite lovely.“
The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival takes place in Greater Manchester on 25-28 March. Event details can be found here. Broadcasts from the festival will be available on 6 Music, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. A full list of activities happening at Get In! To Eccles on 28-29 March is available to view here.
