To be honest there’s a lot fewer festivals going on this year – perhaps 2018 was ‘Peak Festival’?
Sounds from the Other City 2019
Sunday 5th May
The other city of course is Salford, and you should expect plenty of new music from up and coming artists from around these parts.
Line Up
Aadae, All Hands On Deck, Avalanche Party, Babii, Barney Artist, BBC Philharmonic & Young Identity, Black Country New Road, Black Midi, Gabe, Gurnsey, Handle, Mariel Osborn, Penelope Isles, See Thru Hands, Speakman Sound, The Orielles, Upset Stomach, Working Mens Club, Woven Skull, Yama Warashi
Tickets
Tickets are on sale priced at £25
Chapel Street, Salford, Greater Manchester, M3 5HW
www.soundsfromtheothercity.com
Highest Point Festival 2019
Friday 17th & Saturday 18th May
Taking place in Williamson Park in Lancaster, Highest Point returns in 2019 with a very impressive line-up. They’ll have 5 stages of music on Friday and Saturday with a dedicated family day on the Sunday.
Line Up
Sister Sledge, The Zutons, Feeder, Grandmaster Flash, Alabama 3, Lucy Spraggan, Anna Calvi, Cabbage, Stealing Sheep.
Tickets
2 Day adult tickets are £80 while Sunday tickets are just £5 for the day.
Manchester Jazz Festival 2019
Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th May
Another year, another packed jazz festival in Manchester. The acts perform in a variety of different venues throughout the city.
Line Up
Yemi Bolatiwa, Flightless Birds, Marco Woolf, Young Pilgrims, B-ahwe, Kara, Jasmine
Tickets
There’s different prices for the different performers, ranging from completely FREE right up to £25.
Dot to Dot Festival 2019
Friday 24th May
Taking place at various venues around the city – Dot to Dot hopes to showcase up and coming bands and DJs from the UK and further afield. It’s a bit of a joint event – with acts shared between Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham over 3 days.
Line-up
Crystal Fighters, Jordan Rakei, Swim Deep, The Night Café, Dream Wife, The Orielles, Lauren Aquilina, Viagra Boys, Mini Mansions
Tickets
There are still some tickets available and they cost £14
Various Venues, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 5NQ
www.dottodotfestival.co.uk
Neighbourhood Weekender 2019
Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th May
Carrying on from a belting weekender last year, the Neighbourhood gang have once again come up trumps with a top line-up of acts.
Line Up
George Ezra, and Richard Ashcroft, plus others including Primal Scream, The Vaccines, You Me At Six, Slaves, Nothing But Thieves, The Charlatans, Tom Grennan, Gerry Cinnamon, The Hunna, Maximo Park, The Slow Readers Club, Embrace, Kate Nash, Pale Waves, Mystery Jets.
Tickets
Weekend Tickets start at £116.50, while day tickets are £61.50.
Victoria Park, Knutsford Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 4UK
nbhdweekender.com
Download Festival 2019
Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June
Everyone’s favourite goth/rock/black clobber festival is back and have some great headliners. Seeing Def Leppard and Slash at the same festival is certainly a big plus point.
Line Up
Def Leppard, Slipknot and Tool, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Whitesnake, Rob Zombie, Trivium, Amon Amarth, Halestorm, FEVER 333, Beartooth, Skid Row, Stone Temple Pilots, Clutch, Carcass, Delain, Die Antwoord, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Opeth, Power Trip, Reel Big Fish,
Tickets
Weekend Arena Only tickets are £185, while camping goes up to £210 (3 nights) or £220 (5 nights). Day tickets start at £79.50.
Donington Park, Donington, Derbyshire, DE74 2RP
downloadfestival.co.uk
Parklife Weekender 2019
Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th June
Tickets for Parklife are now sold out but if you managed to get yourself one beforehand – then you’re in for a treat at this massive weekend party.
Line Up
Cardi B, George Ezra, The Streets, AJ Tracey, Blossoms, Disclosure (DJ Set), Nas, Solange, Mark Ronson, Dave, Major Lazer Soundsystem, David Rodigan, Christine and the Queens, Loyle Carner, Eric Prydz; mabel, Chase & Status, Bicep (DJ set), Todd Terje, Peggy Gou.
Tickets
SOLD OUT but I’m pretty sure if you head on down to Heaton Park there will be some flying around. Or look on Gumtree or Twickets on the Friday before – there’s usually plenty of people who decide they can’t go.
Heaton Park, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M25 2SW
parklife.uk.com
Manchester International Festival 2019
Thursday 4th to Sunday 21st July
MIF is back and there’s some fantastic events and concerts going on around the city over the 3 weeks.
Line Up
Yoko Ono, Janelle Monáe, Abida Parveen, DYSTOPIA987 with Skepta, Queens of the Electronic Underground, Laurie Anderson.
Tickets
There’s different prices for the different performances. As you’d expect.
Sounds of the City 2019
Friday 5th to Saturday 13th July
Castlefield Bowl once again hosts Sounds of the City and this year’s line-up is pretty spectacular. Kylie will be popping in so you’ll probably see me at that one coated in glitter.
Line Up
Friday 5th July: Bloc Party
Saturday 6th July: The Wombats, with The Night Cafe, and Fuzzy Sun
Tuesday 9th July: Elbow
Wednesday 10th July: The National
Thursday 11th July: Kylie Minogue
Friday 12th July: The Kooks, with The Sherlocks, and Sea Girls.
Saturday 13th July: Hacienda Classical, with Inner City, and DJs Peter Hook & more
Tickets
Tickets are still available and start from about £45.
Castlefield Bowl, Liverpool Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 4JR
Beat-Herder 2019
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th July
Beat-Herder aims to offer something a bit different from the mainstream mega-festivals you can find yourself in. They have no involvement with large corporations, and don’t receive any sponsorship – they are proud to be a truly independent festival.
Line Up
Rudimental, Groove Armada (live), Basement Jaxx (DJ set), Hannah Wants, Skream, Sonny Fodera, The Sugarhill Gang & Melle Mel & Scorpio Furious Five, Chris Lorenzo, Dub Pistols, DJ Yoda, Mr Scruff.
Tickets
Start at £165 for an adult weekend ticket.
Ribble Valley, Sawley, Gisburn, Lancashire, BB7 4LF
beatherder.co.uk
Lytham Festival 2019
Wednesday 10th to Sunday 14th July
Lytham have pulled out all the stops this year with their artists – managing to entice some seriously big acts to the lovely middle-class seaside town.
Line Up
Wednesday 10th: The Human League, Heather Small, China Crisis
Thursday 11th: Stereophonics, Tom Grennan, Jade Bird
Friday 12th: Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis Bextor, DJ Ana Matronic
Saturday 13th: Rod Stewart, Wet Wet Wet
Sunday 22nd: Hollywood Proms with Michael Ball & Sheridan Smith
Tickets
Spread over various venues throughout St Annes, ‘The Pass’ gives you access to all 5 days for £249, while specific act/day tickets come in between £30 – £50 depending on who you’re watching.
Lytham Green, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, FY8 5LB
www.lythamfestival.com
bluedot Festival 2019
Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st July
Jodrell Bank hosts this festival of ‘discovery’ featuring a complex mix of artists, speakers, scientists and performers.
Line Up
Hot Chip, Kraftwerk, New Order, Jon Hopkins, Kate Tempest, 808 State, John Grant, Gogo Penguin, Jarvis Cocker, Gruff Rhys, Anna Calvi, Les Amazones D’Afrique; The Go! Team, Ibibio Sound Machine, Omar Souleyman.
Tickets
Weekend tickets are still available and start at £169. Day tickets are also available.
Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre and Arboretum, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK119DL
www.discoverthebluedot.com
Blackthorn Festival 2019
Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July
Held at Whitebottom farm, Blackthorn is going from strength-to-strength each year with another stellar line up for 2019. Just try and avoid the geese.
Line Up
Scouting For Girls, The Pigeon Detectives, The South, Republica; Dave Finnegan’s Commitments, The K’s, Jesse Kinch, Hands Off Gretel.
Tickets
Weekend tickets start at £60 each.
Whitebottom Farm, Etherow Country Park, Compstall, Stockport, Manchester, SK6 5HZ
www.blackthornmusicfestival.co.uk
Kendal Calling 2019
Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th July
Kendal Calling is back and bigger and better than ever (and certainly didn’t have a break last year!). Nile Rodgers is always a welcome addition to any line-up but I suspect The Courteeners are the biggest draw.
Line Up
The Courteeners, Doves, Manic Street Preachers, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Orbital, Tom Jones, Years & Years, Rival Sons, Gerry Cinnamon, Miles Kane, Gomez, The Fratellis, IDLES, KT Tunstall, Dermot Kennedy, Mystery Jets, Slowthai; Badly Drawn Boy, The Subways, Nina Nesbitt.
Tickets
Adult weekend tickets start at £139
Festwich
Saturday 28th July – Sunday 29th July
Located in St Mary’s Park in Prestwich, Festwich proclaims to be the UK’s biggest free tribute festival – and they’re probably not wrong. Spread over two days, the Saturday is for the rockers while the Sunday is for the pop crew. If the line-up was the real people it would probably be the best festival in the world.
Line Up
Saturday: Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Bon Jovi, Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Nirvana, Faith No More, Whitesnake, Van Halen
Sunday: Prince, David Bowie, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Coldplay, The Jam, REM, Duran Duran, The Specials, The Clash, The Doors.
Tickets
This bad boy is FREE! There are no tickets on the door though so you’ll need to get them online beforehand.
Saint Mary’s Park, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1GG
festwich.com
Rewind North
Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th August
So named probably because it features loads of old-school acts that you used to listen to on your tape deck, Rewind North has another bloody brilliant line up this year.
Line Up
Thin Lizzy, Gloria Gaynor, Bananarama, Ali Campbell and Astro, Level 42, Tiffany, Heaven 17, The Selecter, Heather Small, Cutting Crew, Hazel O’Connor, The Undertones.
Tickets
Adult Weekend with camping starts at £140 while Day Tickets come in at around £69. Kids are a lot less.
Capesthorne Hall, Siddington, Cheshire, SK11 9JY
north.rewindfestival.com
Cotton Clouds Festival
Friday 16th and Saturday 17th August
Cotton Clouds did so well last year that they’ve kept the two day thing up for 2019, with the Friday evening slot featuring the brilliant Peter Hook and The Light. The full day on Saturday looks great too.
Line Up
The Wailers, Peter Hook and The Light, Reverend and The Makers, Ash, Alabama 3, House & Garage Orchestra, Tim Burgess, She Drew The Gun, The Mouse Outfit, Oh My God! It’s The Church, Agbeko, Patawawa, Jordan Max, The Fernweh.
Tickets
Tickets come in at £79.50 for the two days or £32 for Friday and £49.50 for the Saturday
Saddleworth Cricket Club, Well-I-Hole Rd, Greenfield, Oldham OL3 7HY
www.cottoncloudsfestival.com
Creamfields
Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th August
Most people have heard of Creamfields – it’s that mental clubbing festival in a huge field near Warrington where everyone goes absolutely ape-shit to robot clanging noises with lasers in the background.
Line Up
Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, Tiesto, deadmau5, Adam Beyer x Cirez D (Debut Festival Exclusive), The Chemical Brothers (Live), Martin Garrix, Carl Cox, Above & Beyond, The Black Madonna, Fatboy Slim, Duke Dumont, Fisher, Chase & Status (DJ Set), Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Faithless (DJ Set), Jamie Jones, MK, Pan-Pot, Patrick Topping, Pete Tong,
Tickets
Tickets are £230 per Adult for 4 days camping but there are loads of options available.
Daresbury Estate, Halton, Cheshire, WA4 4AR
www.creamfields.com
Moovin’ Festival
Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th August
Named ‘Moo’-vin Festival probably because it takes place on a farm – this looks set to be pretty decent and probably the second best thing you can do in Stockport this Summer.
Line Up
Soul II Soul, 2manydjs, Big Daddy Kane, Morcheeba, Inner City, Lee Scratch Perry, Nightmares on Wax, Horse Meat Disco, Soul Clap, Ozomatli ft. Chali 2na, Fabio & Grooverider, Stanton Warriors, DJ Hype, Marshall Jefferson, Awesome Tapes From Africa.
Tickets
You can buy a weekend ticket for £95 and add camping on there for an additional £20.
Whitebottom Farm, Etherow Park, Compstall, Stockport, SK6 5JQ
www.moovinfestival.com
Manchester Pride
Friday 23rd to Monday 26th August
They’ve changed it all up this year – with 2 main areas to Pride instead of one. There’s the bits on Canal Street as usual and then there’s a brand new festival area with all the live acts over at Mayfield. Some like it, some loathe it.
Line Up
Ariana Grande, Years & Years, Bananarama, Kim Petras, Basement Jaxx (DJ Set), Faithless (DJ Set), Lady Leshurr, Becky Hill, Louisa, Pixie Lott, Nicky Siano, Bongo’s Bingo
Tickets
Tickets are much more expensive than they have been in the past with weekend tickets for the Festival costing £64.50.
Manchester’s Gay Village, Canal Street, Manchester, M1 3HE
festival.manchesterpride.com
