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www.weinventedtheweekend.com

We Invented the Weekend Festival

Venue

Piazza

Dates

15th - 16th Jun '24

The countdown’s on! Join us on June 15th-16th for a celebration of leisure time, personal style, and community spirit. With FREE performances, workshops, and activities for all, it's an event you won't want to miss.

We Invented the Weekend – 15th and 16th June

We Invented the Weekend, a bold and imaginative free festival that celebrates the differences in how people spend their free time in the location where the weekend was originally invented in 1843 – is set to return to MediaCity and The Quays and we can’t wait for you to join us!

There’s heaps occurring across the weekend including CBeebies Bedtime Stories, Yoga with Scottee, Manchester Lit & Phil, DJ Paulette and a celebration of personal style and community spirit with The People’s Catwalk – Sunday Best. Plus, boat trip takeovers from Salford Pride, Age UK, Melanin Markets, Sounds From The Other City and Unity Radio.

Festival highlights and what’s on!

As the concept of the weekend emerged, so did the practice of saving special outfits for Sundays. There were work clothes and best clothes and Sunday was a time to showcase individuality and honour the occasion of free time. In a first for 2024, attendees are invited to participate in The People’s Catwalk – Sunday Best where tradition meets modern expression in a celebration of personal style and community spirit. The Sunday Best Catwalk promises to be a joyous spectacle of style, featuring individuals, groups and communities from all walks of life strutting their stuff in their finest attire to celebrate Sunday Best. It’s going to be unmissable with some familiar faces here and there in a heart-warming showcase of local community groups.

Returning for 2024’s We Invented the Weekend will also be CBeebies Bedtime Stories, inviting families and attendees to take a moment to relax with festival guests and celebrities reading stories across the weekend. Expect bedtime stories from CBeebies House Stars, Evie, Joanna and Dodge with more guests and presenters to be announced.

The Lowry is also set to host numerous activities across the weekender including dance training for all the family and a festival favourite art class from Salfordian Goggleboxer Helena Worthington, plus festival attendees can also take part in a Northern Soul all-dayer in The Lowry’s iconic Compass Room. On top of this there will be loads of free activities including performances, backstage and LS Lowry tours, talks, workshops and a large flashmob on the Plaza celebrating songs from the much-loved Six The Musical.

There will also be several musical offerings across the weekend including a music programme delivered by Sounds From The Other City, a Saturday headliner presented in collaboration with Unity Radio, an all killer no filler set from all-female Eves Drop Collective as well as Manchester music royalty, DJ Paulette. On top of this, We Invented the Weekend’s hugely popular boat trips will return with special takeovers from Salford Pride, Sounds From The Other City, Unity, Age UK. Living Room Dance Club will also perform an extended DJ set to keep the crowds pumping and families can let loose with the Playhouse Project.

There will also be a plethora of free activities for the family to get stuck into and learn something new including the Cardboard Playground, design workshops from Jamie-Lee Wainman Design. Quayside MediaCity will also be activated over the weekend with 11 Central and Kargo.MKT providing the finest food and drink offerings in MediaCity. There will also be countless amounts of sporting and wellness focussed activities for everyone to take part in, from Bee Pedal Ready, Yoga with Scottee and Northern Rolling, to a BMX showcase from British Cycling and the BMX team.

Attendees can also expect activities hosted by RHS Bridgewater, Manchester United Foundation Street Reds and Manchester Lit & Phil.

The University of Salford will also host 2024’s We Think Big talks at the centre of the festival site. The programme will include talks from industry leading panellists including university academics, journalists, environmentalists and thought leaders across topics including music, sport and of course the weekend.

A Charity Super.Mkt pop-up will also return to MediaCity supplying a curated collection of fashion, accessories and homewares from a dozen of the UK’s best local and national charity retailers. Attendees can also visit Melanin Markets and MCR sew social. The festival will be announcing more programme additions over the coming months.

Don’t miss out – for more information and the full festival programme please click here.