The first headliners of next year’s Lytham Festival have been announced this morning, with Justin Timberlake and Alanis Morissette both heading up north.
The massive live music event will return to the Lytham St Anne’s seafront – just a stone’s throw from Blackpool – in July 2025.
The outdoor gig series has attracted massive names over the years, from Kylie to The Strokes to Shania Twain to Rod Stewart to Lionel Richie.
And next year looks set to be no different, with Lytham Festival today announcing the line-up for three nights of its five-night festival.
As well as Alanis Morissette and Justin Timberlake, there’ll be a joint headline performance from Simple Minds at Texas at the TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival 2025.
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Details of the two remaining headliners will be revealed soon, with the festival taking place between 2 and 6 July.
The iconic and influential Alanis Morisette will be headlining on Friday 4 July, performing her hits like Ironic, You Oughta Know, Hand in My Pocket and Thank U.
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Justin Timberlake has been announced as a headliner of Lytham Festival 2025. Credit: SuppliedAlanis Morisette will also headline Lytham Festival 2025. Credit: Supplied
The seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician performed a sold-out world tour back in 2021, celebrating 25 years of her landmark album Jagged Little Pill.
On Saturday 5 July the Lytham Festival stage will be graced by Justin Timberlake, as he brings his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour to Lytham Green.
The former NSYNC star has won 10 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, and even earned an Oscar nomination, with six studio albums and 54 million album sales under his belt.
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The closing night will be headlined by global rock icons and Scottish legends Simple Minds and Texas.
One of the most successful bands to ever come from the UK, Simple Minds have sold more than 60 million records worldwide and enjoyed number one singles on both sides of the Atlantic.
Simple MindsTexasSimple Minds and Texas have announced a joint headline show at Lytham Festival 2025. Credit: Supplied
And Texas have a four-decade-long career with 10 studio albums, five compilation albums and 45 singles, including their iconic debut I Don’t Want A Lover.
Details of who will be headlining on Wednesday July 2 and Thursday July 3 along with all support acts and special guests will be announced soon.
Lytham Festival co-founder Peter Taylor said: “It’s that time of year again and what a line up we have planned. Everyone we are announcing today is an absolute music icon and we can’t wait to welcome them to Lytham.
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“Alanis Morissette is quite simply a cultural phenomenon and an artist with incredible integrity and acclaim who is celebrated globally. To then have the huge superstar that is Justin Timberlake headlining the following night is a booking we are very excited about and one we are confident will be a huge hit.
“Then we have a brilliant double headlining set with two amazing Scottish artists, in the form of Simple Minds and Texas, to close the festival. These are two bands that I know will be very popular with our Lytham audience.
“And we’ve not finished there. Watch this space as we still have our Wednesday and Thursday headliners plus a lot of special guests to announce in the coming weeks. It’s only September but already Lytham Festival 2025 is shaping up to be another incredible week of live music.”
Individual tickets for Friday to Sunday go on sale at 8am Friday from lythamfestival.com
Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic returns this summer with ‘iconic’ headliners
Emily Sergeant
Boney M, The Cheeky Girls, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK stars are all on the lineup at Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic this summer.
As this summer marks 15 years of Pride in Salford, Salford Pride has announced a whole host of exciting events to celebrate – including the return of The Pink Picnic, its biggest family-friendly celebration yet, with headliners like 90s and 00s music icons, community talent, and even a ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone for 2026.
Returning to Peel Park once again, The Pink Picnic brings together LGBTQ+ community, allies, families and friends for a day built around community, joy, and belonging.
For 2026, Salford Pride is expanding the experience further with even more to do across the park than ever before.
The Pink Picnic has been part of Salford’s Pride story since 2011, but this year’s 15th anniversary addition is set to be one for the history books, as alongside a headline lineup featuring Boney M, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Kyran Thrax and Paige Three, The Cheeky Girls, Big Brovaz, Booty Luv, and Baby D, a strong programme of community acts will also be spotlighted.
Some of the exceptional community acts already named on the lineup so far include Tallulah Guard, Fear of Marko, and John Tucker.
Across the day, visitors can also shop from dozens of community stalls and market traders, take part in or watch the much-loved annual dog show, and visit the ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone that’s designed to help young people feel seen and celebrated.
“Celebrating 15 years of Pride in Salford feels really special, and we wanted 2026 to feel like a proper thank you to the community that’s built this with us” said Scott Turzański, who is the Head of Marketing and Brand at Salford Pride.
“The Pink Picnic is a family event – it’s welcoming, it’s joyful, and it’s about making space for everyone.”
The Pink Picnic returns to Peel Park in Salford next month on Saturday 13 June, and you can find out more and book tickets online here.
Featured Image – Salford Pride (via Facebook)
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Donny Osmond books biggest-ever Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Iconic American singer and actor Donny Osmond has announced his biggest-ever Manchester concert as part of his upcoming ‘VIVA UK’ tour dates.
Bringing his famous Las Vegas residency show to Great Britain, where he has always had a fervent following, the younger Osmond brother will be making a venue debut over six decades into his career.
Famously part of the musical family who not only sang together but also saw multiple TV shows created in their name – including his very own spin-off, Donny and Marie – he’s been around longer than most in showbiz, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Confirming a whole new run of live dates across the country, Donny Osmond will be returning to Manchester early next year.
Writing on social media, the veteran entertainer said: “I’m so pleased to finally share the official 2027 UK tour dates with you.
“It always means so much to return to the UK – the audiences there have given me some of the most unforgettable moments of my career.”
As for here in our city, he last played Manchester back just a few short years ago at the AO Arena, selling out the 20,000-seater space on 29 November 2023.
Now, though, he’s upgrading to approximately 23k this time, with die-hard fans being encouraged to download his very own ‘Donny App’ to secure the earliest possible access.
Set to play Co-op Live for the very first time, we’d expect this one to sell equally well; you can see the rest of the shows listed so far down below.
Donny Osmond VIVA UK live tour dates 2027
We’ve highlighted all the Northern dates for you:
Wed, 20 Jan – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Thurs, 21 Jan – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
Sat, 23 Jan – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Sun, 24 Jan 24 – Manchester, Co-op Live
Tue, 26 Jan 26 – Hull, Connexin Live
Wed, 27 Jan 27 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
Fri, 29 Jan 29 – Leeds, first direct arena
Sat, 30 Jan 30 – Birmingham, BP Pulse Live
Mon, 1 Feb – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Wed, 3 Feb – Bournemouth BIC
Friday and Saturday, 5-6 February – London, Eventim Apollo
JUST ANNOUNCED: Donny Osmond Sunday 24 January 2027
Bringing the glamour, high-energy & excitement of his Las Vegas show. https://t.co/Y2sSdg01FV @coopuk members get first in line for tickets. Co-op Member Presale: 10:00 Wednesday 20 May General Sale: 10:00 Friday 22 May pic.twitter.com/i4v2ff7suA
Early access tickets for Donny Osmond’s VIVA UK tour will be available both via the app and the venue’s official Co-op membership, with the presale window opening at 10am on Wednesday, 20 May.
Meanwhile, general admission tickets will go live at the same time the following Friday (22 May), with VIP and hospitaity packages also on offer.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd September 2024 
