One of the very best festivals in Greater Manchester, and we guarantee the only one that takes place inside a garden centre (yes, really), is returning: that’s right, Green Island Festival is back again this year and we cannot wait.
The unique three-part music festival spread over three months is quietly becoming the best music event you’re missing out on if you live in and around Manchester, but if 2023’s edition was anything to go by, this thing won’t be staying a best-kept secret for much longer.
Green Island Fest 2024 descends upon Hulme Community Garden Centre, a beloved artistic and cultural cornerstone for the local area, from June and will see repeat parties all day and all night in July and September.
Soak up the sun in the day and then dance the night away — how all good festivals operate.
If you’ve never come across the concept before, let us fill you in. Five stages, (the most ever) around 50 musical acts from all over the UK and plenty of artists too, don’t you worry; three chapters, three of the most sun-soaked months in the year, food, drinks, dancing, A LOT of plants and plenty more.
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On the face of it, it might sound a bit odd to have a music festival inside a place where people usually buy pots and flowers, but if you’ve ever been to Hulme Garden Centre you’ll know it’s much more than that. The local institution is a hub for creatives, crafters and people from all walks of life.
When you get in there and see the whole vibe for yourself, you actually realise it’s kind of the perfect place for a music festival.
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Partnering with the likes of Reform Radio, the nearby NIAMOS Centre, as well Salford and Manchester-based promoters Fat Out, among many others, this really is set to be the biggest year for the festival to date. That also makes it a better time than ever to give it a try if you haven’t before.
But don’t be fooled into thinking this is just another one for those with the energy to dance non-stop for 24 hours, the pop-up food vendors, on-site cafe, various comfy and communal areas and stalls still selling stuff from the garden centre like any other work day mean its super family-friendly too.
In fact, last year we were genuinely taken aback a bit to see just how many parents came along to have a boogie with their kids wearing cute little ear defenders, pot plants, or simply lay back on the bed of chamomile grass and stare up at the sky. It’s just a great atmosphere all around.
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We always end up spending most of our time at the Forest stage — which is even better than you think it is — but that’s the perk of having it spread over three different dates, you still have plenty of time to try out all the different spaces around the roughly 1000-capacity venue.
You can see the full lineup for Green Island Festival 2024 down below:
We always stumble across so many up-and-coming artists at this thing.
Green Island Festival returns to Manchester on 15 June, 27 July and 7 September and boy are we praying for hot weather and clear skies — there’s plenty of coverage across the garden centre coverage if not, but there is nothing better than when the sun shines down on this thing.
You can grab tickets for either of the three chapters and the following afterparties over at YES this year via SeeTickets HERE, with day passes starting from just £20. Mint.
We really can’t speak highly enough of this festival and if you don’t believe us, you can read our full review from last year’s event down below and, hopefully, we’ll see you there.
Antony Szmeirek announces second album along with biggest UK tour dates yet
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.
The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.
Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.
Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.
The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.
His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.
On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.
The 34-year-old carries that same idiosyncrasy throughout his lyricism and creative concepts, as well.
‘Chalk’ is a perfect example of this, as the song is inspired by The Edge of Everything documentary: a film about the career of legendary British snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Here’s the music video…
As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.
In addition to a pair of hometown shows here in Manchester, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026
We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:
Featured Images — Press shots via Zak Watson (supplied via SJM Concerts)
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Pussycat Dolls cancel wave of tour dates due to poor ticket sales
Daisy Jackson
Pussycat Dolls have finally addressed the swirling rumours that they would be cancelling their upcoming PCD Forever world tour.
The girl group announced a major comeback as a trio – Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt, and Ashley Roberts – and their biggest international run in years.
The new Pussycat Dolls tour included a significant run of shows in Europe, including a Manchester date at Co-op Live.
But now it appears the rumours of low demand are true, and the group are cancelling an entire leg of their world tour – though thankfully, Manchester appears to have made it through safely.
In an open letter shared with fans, Pussycat Dolls said that they have had to take ‘an honest look’ at the tour and have made ‘the difficult and heartbreaking decision’ to cancel a number of concerts.
The Buttons singers will now play just one of their scheduled dates in North America, which will be the WeHo Pride event in LA, acknowledging the importance of performing at the LGBTQ+ celebration.
Addressing rumours that European dates would also be cancelled, they wrote: “Our UK and European dates are still moving forward as planned, and the response has been incredible, with several shows already sold out.
“We are putting everything into making this show a true celebration of the music and the memories, for the fans who have been with us from the beginning and those discovering us for the first time.
“We’re working hard to create the kind of show we’ve always dreamed of bringing to you. We cannot wait to bring this reunion to Europe and make these nights unforgettable.”
Pussycat Dolls signed off: “Thank you for your love, patience, and support.”
Danny Jones -
29th February 2024 
