Not much comes free these days, so when it does happen, we really have something to celebrate. Now, We Invented the Weekend festival is back for 2026, with a host of free activities to celebrate time outside of work, education, and all things free time.
Across Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026, Salford Quays and MediaCity will be buzzing with over 200 free activities in the UK’s most ambitious, creative, original and fun-filled festival celebrating the most precious of commodities – our free time!
This will be the third iteration of the much-loved FREE festival that invites communities from across Greater Manchester, the North West and beyond to celebrate the amazing variety of ways in which we love to spend our weekends.
Putting together the perfect weekend is a collective effort and the festival is working with dozens of partners ranging from BBC, Lowry, University of Salford, RHS, English National Opera, Imperial War Museum North and Play England as well as community and grassroots organisations.
The two-day festival in June will celebrate summer, throwing open the doors of MediaCity and Salford Quays with a jam-packed programme including live music, action-packed sports, family fun, theatre, DJ sets, exclusive tours, art workshops, thought-provoking talks, street food, boat trips, wellbeing sessions and much more. Most activities will be drop-in and un-ticketed, and all will be completely free.
Full We Invented the Weekend 2026 programme
Music and performance for all ages at the Lowry
- Family Entertainment: CBeebies-themed activities featuring Bluey, BBC personalities, and storytelling sessions.
- Live Performances: A “(North) West End Live” showcase with hits from SIX, Les Misérables, and Disney musicals.
- Circus & Arts: Breath-taking aerial displays from Pirates of the Carabina – Pirate Taxi in the Plaza.
- Interactive Experiences: Free backstage and gallery tours, the immersive “Lowry 360” experience, and various creative workshops.
- Community Access: All exhibitions and drop-in sessions are free and designed for all ages.
Perfect Pitch – opera meets football
A project co-created by English National Opera and Walk the Plank, Perfect Pitch promises a euphoric moment of mass participation as football and opera converge on the pitch. Bringing together community choirs, football fans and ENO artists, including tenor Luis Gomes, the performance celebrates the unexpected connections between football and opera.
The finale will feature over 400 singers, including Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, famously associated with the 1990 World Cup. More details will be revealed as the big day approaches – be there for 2.15pm, Saturday 6 June.
Play Street
Play Streets began in Salford in the 1920s. Now in 2026, We Invented the Weekend festival is working with Play England, to bring them back! Picture the Plaza with one huge area of play and activity where all ages can join in.
Think creative workshops for the younger generations, games, music, movement, skate zones and spaces for teens, double-Dutch skipping and creative chalk drawing – Play Street reimagines the street as a place for connection and imagination.
Club Culture
Brand new for this year, Club Culture, is an area dedicated to recognising Manchester’s rich contribution, past and present, to electronic dance music. Enjoy wide-ranging sounds from outstanding local DJ’s with a female and non-binary identifying line-up on Saturday plus Living Room Dance Club, Semi Peppered and Aficionado on Sunday.
Alongside the DJ sets on the dancefloor, festival-goers can join curated DJ workshops and lively panel talks that will give dance music lovers across generations an opportunity to learn, get inspired and hone their DJ-skills.
Sports for all
For many people, weekends are all about sports, so We Invented the Weekend has put together a gold-medal winning line up of activities whatever your passion. The MediaCity Piazza will host sports, games and activities of every kind including BMX free-styling and workshops with British Cycling, running clubs, a climbing wall, guided bike rides, Taekwondo demos, Boxing, RnB Yoga and much more.
Whilst in the waters of Dock 9, U-Swim gives festival-goers the chance to cool off with open water swimming taster sessions. Activities will be available throughout both days and will be drop-in.
Saturday will have a football focus with activities on offer including ManUFoundation Street Reds and the National Football Museum. On Sunday, Salford Community Leisure will provide the chance to try Multi Sports – Archery, Netball, Mini Hockey, Kwik Cricket, Tag Rugby and more.
Music is the glue
No festival is complete without music and We Invented the Weekend will feature music of every kind – from opera to musical theatre to DJs from BBC’s Radio 6 Music, Sing-a-long-choirs to Acid Brass Bands and tunes for baby ravers.
The line-up includes:
- The People’s Free-time Parade: A mass-participation community event on Sunday afternoon featuring music by Mr Wilson’s Second Liners.
- Main Stage Takeover: Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) curates a full Sunday lineup on the Piazza, celebrating 20 years of Salford’s independent music scene.
- Free Boat Parties: A weekend-long series of musical cruises featuring collectives like Crop Radio, Tree House, Northern Grooves, and Me Gusta.
Eat, drink and shop
GRUB is Manchester’s OG street food curator, an independent, family run collective bringing people together through food, drink and culture. For We Invented The Weekend, GRUB will be curating a hand picked line-up of top street food operators and emerging talent, serving up everything from festival favourites to new discoveries.
Alongside GRUB’s line-up, MediaCity favourites including Nells Pizza and The Alchemist will be at the heart of the action, keeping festival goers well fed all weekend long.
From art sales to sustainable fashion there will be plenty on offer for those in search of some weekend retail therapy. Judge on BBC’s ‘Great British Sewing Bee’, Patrick Grant is joining again in 2026 and bringing a pop-up Community Clothing shop. Charity Super.Mkt will also return to the festival with a curated collection of fashion, accessories and homewares from some of the UK’s best local and national charity retailers.
Go green with the RHS
For gardening lovers, the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) will return for 2026 with a programme inspired by its Bringing Nature Home initiative, encouraging people to connect with nature through walks, workshops, and hands-on participation. Visitors can get their hands dirty with something for all ages with expert advice, gardening demos and practical sessions designed to help people bring nature into their everyday lives.
Art, making and creative workshops
The Hot House building at MediaCity will be transformed into a creative, making space for adults, young people and kids, hosting workshops and quieter areas for more for activities including:
- The Department for Perfect Weekend with local artist MikeSian
- Free Time Parade Workshop
- The Kitchen Table with Altogether Otherwise (four different workshops)
- Craft workshop with Nots and Coyle Studio
- Art Sale and Exhibition with Grit Studios, Islington Mill, Salford Loading and others
Storytelling and talks
For quieter moments there’s storytelling as well as in-depth talks for those who love discussing big ideas. From CBeebies bedtime stories to reading for pleasure with the National Literacy Trust, the festival celebrates the power of stories, words and imagination.
The Talks programme will include a very local Salford legend, Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order fame (who grew up in Ordsall) in conversation with Mark Radcliffe. The full Talks programme will be announced in May.
A celebration that could only happen in Salford
We Invented the Weekend 2026 embraces all that is happening across Salford this year, from the huge centenary celebrations of Salford 100 to the role that Salford and MediaCity will play during the FIFA World Cup 2026 when the BBC’s coverage is beamed across the world from the MediaCity studios.
Right back where it all started
The weekend – like, the actual concept of the weekend – was invented in Greater Manchester in 1843 when Salford Lyceum Director and workers’ rights activist Robert Lowes (Sir Ian McKellen’s Great Grandfather) campaigned to win mill workers the right to leisure time on Saturday afternoons.
In this triumph, Greater Manchester gave an enormous gift to the world, and We Invented the Weekend honours this, in true style, in Salford, celebrating leisure time, free time, quality time and me-time. We Invented
The Weekend will take place on 6 and 7 June at MediaCity and Salford Quays.