One of Manchester’s best festivals for discovering new genre-busting music talent is back this summer, and you can still get tickets.
The award-winning RADAR Festival is set to return to one of the city’s best-loved indoor venues this July, and it’ll be bringing a ‘breathtaking’ selection of modern and progressive music to the stage – with the full lineup announced, including headlining acts Carpenter Brut, Bob Vylan, and UNDERØATH, as well as performances by Zeal & Ardor, Vukovi, Normandie, and so many more.
If you’re unfamiliar with RADAR Festival, it’s a musical celebration that launched back in 2019 but moved to Manchester in 2023, and has been calling our city its home ever since.
The festival is all about pushing boundaries and introducing fresh new music genres to its stages.
With its mixture of international talent and confirmed homegrown success, RADAR Festival – which is taking over O2 Victoria Warehouse when it arrives in the city this summer – has already positioned itself as a champion of forward-thinking, guitar-led progressive music.
But that’s not all what it’s about.
Beyond the music, the event features a daily series of intimate masterclasses, live podcast recordings, and loads more.
Organisers say RADAR is ‘more than just a music festival’, as it offers attendees a unique experience that merges the festival’s mutual love of contemporary progressive music, gaming, and musical instruments, all in one place.
RADAR Festival is returning to Manchester with a huge lineup this summer / Credit: Claire Alaxandra (via Supplied)
So as well as getting to the chance to discover what could potentially be your next favourite music artist, you’ll also have the opportunity to play some of the finest instruments by cutting-edge brands and independent builders alike, compete head-to-head in some of the latest game releases on state-of-the-art gaming PCs, indulge your addiction to painting miniatures, and even participate in a screaming competition… if you feel like it.
Each day of the festival will continue long into the night too, as there’s also the addition of incredible afterparty acts on each of the three nights of the event.
With rave reviews from both the press and attendees in the years gone by, it definitely sounds like this year’s RADAR Festival is shaping up to be a must-attend event for music lovers seeking unique and innovative sounds, and luckily there’s still tickets available.
Tickets for this genre-busting festival are still available / Credit: @moshmallows (via Supplied)
RADAR Festival will return to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July 2025, and tickets are now on sale – with both day tickets, and weekend-long ‘Tier 3’ tickets with 10% discounts available to get your hands on.
Also demonstrating its commitment to new bands, RADAR will continue to donate a portion of ticket sales proceeds to Music Venue Trust and Save Our Scene’s Liveline Fund, in order to support grassroots music venues across the UK.
Aspiring artists can get their work displayed on one of the biggest digital screens in Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Daisy Jackson
An iconic ready-to-drink favourite has launched back into the UK – oh yes, Breezer is back.
First launched in the 1990s, Breezers – then pitched as an ‘alcopop’ – were a staple on dancefloors and at barbecues right across the UK.
And now Bacardi has decided to bring these delicious, fruity, easy-drinking bottles back to British shores.
There are three new flavours to try as Breezers return to your fridges – Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime, and Crisp Watermelon.
And Breezer launched back into Manchester last night with a suitably memorable party, turning a spot in the Northern Quarter into a corner shop.
The ‘local Cornerbop’ was stacked with your usual essentials, plus shelf after shelf of these colourful glass ready-to-drink bottles.
Inside the Breezer ‘Cornerbop’ corner shop in ManchesterBreezer is back, in three new flavours
The Breezer relaunch party saw Tarsza and Rennie Peters spinning nostalgic anthems with a modern twist at a pop-up party in a corner shop.
Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer.
“RTDs are booming, however, the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages category could do with a bit more excitement. By bringing back Breezer we’re definitely putting the fruity taste into FAB.”
The iconic ready-to-drink classic is back – and better than ever.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2025 
