Green Island Fest, a.k.a. one of our favourite live music events on the entire planet, is back for 2026 with its biggest and what is, arguably, on course to its best lineup to date.
And this is just the first wave…
The annual series of outdoor parties is about as literal as grassroots celebrations come, with the performances taking place at none other than Hulme Community Garden Centre.
After an incredible debut a few years ago, its popularity and overall reputation have only grown taller like the trees the punters will be in amongst when Green Island ’26 kicks off its first edition this summer.
In addition to continually platforming rising artists across multiple genres and other up-and-coming projects within the industry, they’re now attracting some serious real music legends, too.
As well as Moss Side and original Manc music tastermaker A Guy Called Gerald topping the bill, festivalgoers are set to be treated to a dedicated 808 State DJ set too, though it remains to be seen if others from the iconic collective will be joining Gerald on stage.
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Fellow house and dance veteran turned radio host, DJ Paulette, will also be rolling through the sea of plants and ravers for the first time ever.
Split over three ‘chapters’ as always – June, July and the closer in September – this is perhaps one of the most electronic-driven lineups to date as they look to celebrate the city’s rich heritage within the genre, but as always, there’s so much more going on at Green Island.
With street food traders setting up next to the bushes and barrels of beer, the stages spilling out onto backstreets once again, and afterparties each month, festival season simply can’t come soon enough.
This year, not only are the organisers committed to making this an ‘anti-algorithm programming’ initiative, ensuring that they have full control over their acts, selectors and beyond, but they’re also looking to cater for all ages and better than ever.
With a brand-new family area and dedicated daytime programme curated by Z-arts, a nearby arts centre for children and families, ‘The Imaginarium’ is inviting families to “make, move, and explore together through nature-inspired creative activities.”
Promising a “relaxed, joyful space for curious minds and shared moments of creative play, expect drop-in art workshops, nature-inspired storytelling and magical nature adventures”, it’ll serve as a tangible reminder of how both music and the wider Community Garden Centre fit into the arts world.
It’s grassroots pioneers like these guys that make us truly proud of the Greater Manchester live entertainment sector and overall cultural scene, and we promise that if you’ve never been to Green Island Fest before, you WILL NOT be disappointed.
For those who fancy going on either 6 June, 25 July or 5 September, you can grab your tickets HERE.
New data estimates that 7.3m Oasis fans are set to miss out on 2027 tour tickets
Emily Sergeant
New data has revealed that as many as 7.3 million Oasis fans could be set to miss out on tickets to the band’s 2027 tour.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced earlier this week that, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year, including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park, Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
But despite the elevated number of dates the Gallaghers and co will be performing, some new data has unfortunately revealed that millions of fans may still not be lucky enough to snag a ticket.
The ticketing system for Oasis Live ’27 is not what it was for the last tour, nor will it be similar to many other tours of a similar scale in the past either, as this time, the band and their promotors are taking necessary measures to ensure ‘genuine fans’ get their hands on the tickets and that dynamic pricing doesn’t creep in.
Instead of going into detail on that now though, you can read our full guide on how to get tickets for the Manchester and Knebworth shows here.
Experts at online ticketing platform TicketSource have analysed the scale of demand for Oasis tickets by comparing the 10 million fans worldwide who queued for the initial release of 1.4 million tickets for their 2025 tour, with the newly announced 2027 tour dates and stadium capacities.
With an estimated 2.67 million tickets available across 38 dates and 11 locations between 21 May and 19 September 2027, Oasis could still face huge demand from fans hoping to see them live.
But research reveals the band would need to play 112 Wembley-sized shows to accommodate everyone who tried to get a ticket in 2025.
The 2027 tour would accommodate just 26.7% of those who tried to get tickets last time, meaning almost three-quarters (73%) of them could miss out, leaving a shortfall of more than 7.3 million fans.
Fingers crossed you’re among the lucky lot that secure tickets, though.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Danny Jones -
4th February 2026 
