We’re quite literally doing somersaults because one of the very best music festivals in the North and possibly the entire UK if you ask us, Green Island Festival, is returning to Manchester for 2025 and we cannot wait.
The predominantly outdoor summer music celebration has grown a fiercely loyal cult following over the years and now entering its fifth year, they’re making sure that the rather fitting wood anniversary of the forest-like festival is the biggest yet.
With the first wave now out and the weather shaping up nicely (no, we don’t know that for sure, but we’re manifesting nothing but good vibes from here on out… ), the festival season can’t come soon enough.
For anyone still not clued up just yet, the fast-growing Manchester-based festival based over at Hulme Community Garden Centre is a three-part music series spread across three months.
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With a trio of day-into-night festivals taking place once a month over a busy summer period for gigs and events, it’s one of the best-organised bits of live entertainment you’ll find in all the 10 boroughs.
As mentioned, 2025 marks Green Island’s fifth birthday, born with the mission of creating a space to platform and celebrate the flourishing scene of musicians and DJs in the North, as well as platforming sounds around the globe, with artists from as far and wide as Tanzania and Cuba taking to their stages.
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Having started out as just a 150-person capacity event with just two stages back in 2021, the four years since have seen the festival grow massively and become not only a staple event for the local community but the Manc grassroots music scene as a whole.
Championing multiculturalism, individualism and music in all its diversity of sounds and forms, with unrivalled up-close performances and a charming and welcoming atmosphere, Hulme Garden Centre serving as a shining example of a crucial community and arts space makes for the perfect venue.
Here’s the lineup so far:
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Green Island Fest 2025 is going to go OFF. (Credit: Press Images)
Spanning four stages this year a record max limit of 1,500 people per day – yes, as in 10x the number of punters it started out with – we can’t wait to see the level up.
You’ll navigate between the plants and trees to discover the various stages, each with a unique atmosphere and showcasing different sounds, as well as a block party occupying nearby Warwick Street.
For wave one of the lineup: June will see DnB hero DRS headlining the Main Stage, joined by a full 11-piece band for a very special performance on his home turf. With over 25 years of discography, he’ll be shutting down the stage with old-school gems as well as fresh releases.
Also gracing the stage will be The Zawose Queens, set to bring a slice of Eastern Africa to Manchester with their enchanting fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the Dodoma region of central Tanzania, plus tonnes more.
July presents a couple of our favourites from the most recent Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF); Conor Michael & The GreensKeepers will bring their lively blend of hip-hop and jazz, as well as poet turned rapper Meduulla, who featured on our Manc Artists of the Month back in July, will be both be in tow.
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As for the third and final event in September, the story is very much a similar one, as our MJF 2024 pick of the bunch, a.k.a. the nine-piece powerhouse of players, producers and composers that is Nubiyan Twist will be bringing their infectious, free-flowing ‘jazztastic Afro-kissed funk’ and groove to the party.
Whether you’re there from the start whilst half of Manchester and beyond else is over at Parklife this year, or you’re there for the final chapter, we can guarantee you one thing: you will never have been to a live music event quite like this and you WILL have the time of your life.
Block parties are cool and all that but the Forest stage is where it’s at, just FYI… (Credit: Supplied)
The rest of the lineup is still yet to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled for wave two over the coming months. Plus, if you or someone you know is looking to book their first-ever festival slot, they can send in samples of their music/mixes to register their interest in being part of it.
We call that grassroots and supporting local artists in action.
The three-part series of day festivals will return on 7 June to celebrate its fifth anniversary, with the sophomore event on 2 August and a final closing party on 6 September 2025.
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Pre-sale is already live with general sale available from on Friday, 28 February, with tier one tickets priced at £25; tier two at £30 and T3 at £35.
Best of all, not only will there be low-income and neighbours ticket options priced at just £12.50, to ensure accessibility for all and local community inclusion, but entry for children under 12 is completely FREE – because music is for everyone and they want to encourage families to come and dance together.
Get ready to grab your tickets for Green Island 2025 HERE.
Westlife at Co-op Live, Manchester – stage times, setlist, tickets and more
Daisy Jackson
Westlife are bringing their 25th anniversary tour to Manchester this October – and demand has been so great, they’re doing THREE nights at the Co-op Live.
Fans of the Irish pop group can look forward to a night of nostalgic singalongs, soaring ballads and some of the biggest hits of their 25-year career when Westlife arrive in Manchester for their Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour.
The original Manchester announcement featured a single show, but a rush of demand saw additional dates added – Westlife are now set to spend three consecutive nights at Co-op Live.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Manchester concerts, including dates, tickets, support, setlist, and how to get to the arena.
When are Westlife playing Co-op Live in Manchester?
Westlife are scheduled to perform at Co-op Live on the following dates:
Friday 23 October
Saturday 24 October
Sunday 25 October
All three shows are part of the Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour, celebrating the group’s milestone anniversary with a set built around their best-loved songs.
The venue lists a 7pm show start, with general admission doors opening at 6.30pm. Earlier entry is available for certain premium and hospitality ticket holders. Check the timings on your own ticket before travelling.
There are still some tickets available for Westlife’s gigs at Co-op Live.
On Friday 23 October, tickets are priced between £61.20 and £123.75, with a few more options for resale – you can see the latest availability HERE.
Ticket prices for Saturday 24 October are the same as above, with the latest availability HERE.
And Sunday 25 October has the best availability of all, with tickets for £61.20, £101.20, £112.20, £123.75, £141.35, and £151.85 still on sale HERE.
Who is supporting Westlife?
Singer Ana Sky is listed as a support artist for the Manchester shows.
The Los Angeles born alt-pop singer-songwriter has gone from a career in biology to international stages, topping the charts with her song King of Hearts.
Her emotional anthem Sleeping Without You has also amassed nearly one million views on YouTube.
What songs can fans expect to hear?
Westlife’s anniversary tour celebrates the songs that made them one of Ireland’s most successful pop groups, from late-1990s favourites to more recent releases.
Based on the reported setlist from their Cardiff show on 19 October, Manchester fans can look forward to a strong selection of familiar hits.
World of Our Own
Uptown Girl
Bop Bop Baby
What About Now
When You’re Looking Like That
What Makes a Man
I Have a Dream
I Lay My Love on You
Starlight
Queen of My Heart
Chariot
Fool Again
If I Let You Go
My Love
Unbreakable
Mandy
Flying Without Wings
Hello My Love
Encore
You Raise Me Up
Swear It Again
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
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Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Sam Fender to play TWO massive Etihad Stadium gig in Manchester next year
Daisy Jackson
Sam Fender has announced two massive stadium gigs in Manchester for next summer as part of a new UK tour.
The Geordie singer-songwriter will be performing at the Etihad Stadium in July 2027, along with huge venues in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin.
He’ll also be performing two nights at St James’ Park in his home city of Newcastle.
Support on all of the UK stadium dates will come from the critically acclaimed British alt-rock band, Wunderhorse.
Sam Fender released his number one selling, critically acclaimed third album People Watching in 2025, which went on to earn him the 2025 Mercury Prize.
He debuted People Watching’s ‘Rein Me In’ alongside Olivia Dean at his London Stadium Show last summer, later releasing it and setting new records, with 23 non-consecutive weeks at number one.
Rein Me In featuring Olivia Dean became the longest running number one single in British history, and took the Brit Award for Song of the Year.
Sam Fender teased the announcement earlier this week on Instagram, with a video that showed him dressed as a Lord of the Rings character ‘lighting the beacons’ across the country.
Posters were also suddenly plastered all over Manchester, including taking over the biggest screen in the city at Victoria Warehouse.
The last time he performed here, it was a headline slot at the Live From Wythenshawe Park gig series, with support from Olivia Dean.
Sam Fender will perform at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 15 and 17 July – tickets will go on general sale from 9.30am on Friday 30 October HERE.
You can also pre-order his fourth album to access ticket presales.
Sam Fender UK and Ireland tour dates in full
3 June – St. James’ Park, Newcastle
5 June – St. James’ Park, Newcastle
10 June – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
18 June – Wembley Stadium, London
20 June – Wembley Stadium, London
1 July – Marlay Park, Dublin
8 July – Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Danny Jones -
25th February 2025 
