BBC Radio 6 Music today announced that its annual live music festival will take place at independent venues across Greater Manchester from Wednesday 25th – Saturday 28th March.
This year the event will shine a well-deserved light on independent grassroots venues, extending its reach across Greater Manchester and celebrating its independent spirit. The festival will be at iconic live music spaces including Band on the Wall and YES, as well as - new for 2026 - the Eccles Town Hall Ballroom, and there will be new partnership events with local promoters FaT OuT and Homobloc.
Artists performing across the four days include Bloc Party, Courtney Barnett, The Horrors, Jacob Alon, Kelly Lee Owens (DJ set), Lynks, ‘Mandy, Indiana’, SILVERWINGKILLER, Sorry, Tiberius b, Wesley Joseph and Yard Act. Festival goers will also have the chance to see DJ sets from Beth Ditto & Nick Grimshaw, Emily Pilbeam & Nathan Shepherd, Lambrini Girls and Steve Lamacq as part of an Indie Forever club night. There will also be DJ sets from The Knife’s Olof Dreijer, Aiden Francis and Fig at a partnership event with Homobloc, and performances from Lauren Auder, Naima Bock and R.AGGS as part of a partnership event with FaT OuT.
Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music says: “Independent grassroot venues are vital to the UK’s music ecosystem and at 6 Music, we’re proud to support what they do. So, it makes sense for the next evolution of the 6 Music Festival to take place in these special spaces, collaborating with new partners and celebrating Manchester’s incredible music legacy, as well as the next generation of artists.”
Nick Grimshaw says: “So excited to be back at the 6 Music Festival in Manchester. Bringing a whole host of excellent artists and showcasing them at grassroots venues - these independent spaces are increasingly under threat but are vital for culture and a space where artists are given the freedom to take risks, grow, and truly flourish. I can’t wait!”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, says: "Greater Manchester’s music scene has always been driven by its grassroots venues and independent spirit. They’re vital to nurturing new talent and keeping our cultural life vibrant. It’s fantastic to see the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival celebrating those spaces and shining a spotlight on the creativity that continues to flourish right across our city region."
6 MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026 LINEUP
Weds 25th March – BBC Introducing
TTSSFU + Pyncher + Ellen Beth Abdi at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Thursday 26th March
Kelly Lee Owens (DJ set) + Wesley Joseph at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Mandy, Indiana + SILVERWINGKILLER at YES from 7pm
Friday 27th March
Bloc Party + The Horrors at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Yard Act + Sorry at YES from 7pm
Indie Forever club night with Steve Lamacq, Beth Ditto + Nick Grimshaw, Emily Pilbeam + Nathan Shepherd, and Lambrini Girls at YES from midnight
Saturday 28th March
Courtney Barnett + Jacob Alon at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Lynks + Tiberius b at YES from 7pm
6 Music Festival and FaT OuT present Lauren Auder, Naima Bock and R.AGGS at Eccles Town Hall Ballroom from 3pm
Homobloc presents 6 Music’s Festival’s Closing Party with Olof Dreijer at YES from 11.30pm
The 6 Music broadcast schedule is as follows:
Wednesday 25th March
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am) and Craig Charles (1-4pm) broadcast their shows from MediaCityUK in Salford
· Huw Stephens (4-7pm), Deb Grant & Nathan Shepherd (7-9pm) and Emily Pilbeam (9-11pm) broadcast from Band on the Wall in Manchester
Thursday 26th March
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw Stephens (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
· Deb Grant & Nathan Shepherd from Band on the Wall with live music (7-9pm)
· Mary Anne Hobbs and Femi Koleoso from Band on the Wall with live music (9pm-midnight)
Friday 27th March
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw Stephens (4-7pm) from MediaCityUK
· Steve Lamacq from YES in Manchester with live music (7-9pm)
· Nathan Shepherd & Emily Pilbeam from YES with live music (9pm-midnight)
· Indie Forever club night DJ sets (12-3am)
Saturday 28th March
AFRODEUTSCHE (6-8am), Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am) and Deb Grant & Craig Charles (10am-1pm), Gilles Peterson & Zakia (1-4pm), Cerys Matthews & Huw Stephens (4-7pm) from MediaCityUK
Nick Grimshaw & Beth Ditto from Band on the Wall with live music (7-9pm)
Amy Lamé & AFRODEUTSCHE from MediaCityUK with live music (9-11pm)
SHERELLE from MediaCityUK with DJ sets from Homobloc presents 6 Music Festival’s Closing Party (11pm-1am)
Sunday 29th March
AFRODEUTCHE (6-8am), Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am), Cerys Matthews (10am-1pm) reflect on the festival, broadcasting from MediaCItyUK
Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour with a 6 Music Festival themed show (1-4pm)
BBC Radio Manchester will bring listeners highlights from BBC Introducing at Band on the Wall as part of a special Introducing in Manchester programme on Thursday 26th March at 8pm. Breakfast with Joe McGrath will continue to celebrate local talent featured at the festival on Friday 27th March from 6am.
All 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester programmes will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after broadcast. Performances and DJ sets will be added to BBC Sounds during the festival. Available now is Indie at the 6 Music Festival – a compilation of highlight tracks performed at the event over the years.
In the lead up to the festival, Bloc Party (9-12 Feb), Courtney Barnett (16-19 Feb), Kelly Lee Owens (2-5 Mar), The Horrors (9-12 Mar), Jacob Alon (16-19 Mar) and Yard Act (23-26 Mar) will each present a four-part series of Artist in Residence each Monday – Thursday (11pm-midnight). Artist in Residence sees musicians invite listeners on a journey into their musical soul, with each episode based around a different theme or mood.
In addition, a new eight-part BBC Sounds podcast, The Rise and Fall of Madchester, presented by Steve Lamacq and Music & Cultural PR Creative, Alison Bell, will be available on BBC Sounds from 8am on Monday 16th March. The series captures the iconic Manchester music movement of the 80s and early 90s, following the rise of Factory Records and the Haçienda, the emergence of The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and New Order, and the moment guitar music and club culture collided. Drawing on the BBC’s extensive archive and featuring new interviews with artists, DJs and journalists, The Rise and Fall of Madchester celebrates the music of a city that reshaped British culture and still defines it.
Highlights from Band on the Wall and selected performances from YES will be available to watch on demand across the weekend and for 30 days after broadcast on BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.
Tickets to each event are sold separately and will be available from www.bbc.co.uk/6musicfestival at 10am on Thursday 12th February.
