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Highest Point Festival 2023 – everything you need to know as summer of live music kicks off up north

Who's ready to kick off festival season then?

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 10th May 2023

Our favourite time of the year is about to kick off, as Highest Point launches us head-first into festival season.

The massive open-air music event begins tomorrow and promises another bumper weekend of music, food and activities, as well as a whole day dedicated to families.

Set in one of the most picturesque locations of any northern festival, Highest Point will lure in around 35,000 music-lovers over the next few days.

It paves the way for the summer of live music across the north west, including Parklife, Bluedot, and Kendal Calling, plus the Sounds of the City series at Castlefield Bowl.

Highest Point Festival was first set up in 2018 as a tribute to the late Chris Glaba, who started A Wing alongside Richard Dyer and Jamie Scahill but tragically lost his short battle with cancer in 2016.

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Now, it says its ultimate goal is to ‘create a legacy music festival, to join all of the other amazing events that happen in the city, that the people of Lancaster can be proud of’.

So if you’re digging out your best festival fit and getting ready for a weekend of dancing in the fields, here’s what you need to know about Highest Point Festival 2023.

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When and where is Highest Point Festival 2023?

Highest Point Festival. Credit: Robin Zahler

This year’s festival will run between Thursday 11 and Sunday 14 May, back at the beautiful setting of Williamson Park in Lancaster.

The entrance to the park is located on Wyresdale Road, LA1 3EA.

If you’re using public transport, get the train to Lancaster and then either walk the 30 minutes to the park or take a 10-minute taxi.

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Road closures are in operation so if you’re driving, follow the signs to the customer car park at North West Auctions, Wyresdale Road, LA1 3JQ.

Who’s on the line-up for Highest Point Festival 2023?

Anne-Marie. Credit: Publicity picture
Bastille. Credit: Publicity picture

Headliners at Highest Point 2023 will include Bastille, Anne-Marie, Sub Focus, Freya Ridings, Friendly Fires, Craig Charles, and Wigan’s very own chart-toppers The Lottery Winners.

There’ll also be a special launch night on Thursday, headlined by Hacienda Classical.

The music is split across six stages – the main stage, the Chris Glaba Memorial Stage, The Sundial, The Woods, The Dell Inn and Bushrocker HiFi at the Waterfall.

Keep reading for the full line-up, including who’s playing which day.

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Highest Point Festival 2023 tickets

Highest Point Festival
Highest Point Festival. Credit: Robin Zahler

Tickets for Highest Point 2023 are priced as the following:

  • Adults: £145 for weekend tickets, £39.50 Thursday, £69.50 each for Friday and Saturday.
  • Teen tickets: £80 for weekend, £20 for Thursday, £35 each for Friday and Saturday, .
  • Children aged 0-12: go free with an adult ticket.
  • The Big Family Day Out from £12. 

Tickets are on sale through Skiddle here.

What about the food and drink?

Festival food will take the shape of a regional street food offering.

The full line up of street food stalls features Supper by Sanah, Cubbins, Kitchen Tap, Pizzarana, Eat Like a Greek, Veggie Republic, Furness Fish, Senor Paella, Yardies, Halloumination, Spoon Crepes, La Petite Crepe, and Mac and Wings.

What is the Big Family Day Out?

Taking place on Sunday 14 May, this low-cost, all-inclusive day out is geared towards families to want to soak in the atmosphere at a lower ticket price.

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The theme this year will be Kings and Queens of Pop, inspired by the Coronation and Eurovision.

Visitors are encouraged to dress as their favourite pop icon from years gone by, with prizes awarded to the best-dressed.

There’ll also be music on the main stage, craft zones, vintage markets, carnival parades, dinosaurs, Paw Patrol, birds, bees, and loads more.

Stage times and day splits

Thursday 11 May (gates open from 4pm)

Main stage

Hacienda Classical 21:00-22:30
House Gospel Choir 19:45-20:30
K-Klass (DJ) 18:00-19:30
Dobbo (DJ) 17:00-18:00

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The Woods

Matt Thiss 19:00-21:00
Summer Jenkins 18:00-19:00
Sam T Harper 17:00-18:00
Ryan Gould 16:00-17:00

Friday 12 May (gates open from 1pm)

Main stage

Bastille 21:30-23:00
Friendly Fires 20:00-21:00
Freya Ridings 18:30-19:15
General Levy 17:00-18:00
Phoebe Hall 15:45-16:30
Delights 14:30-15:15

Memorial

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D.O.D 21:30-23:00
Girls Don’t Sync 20:00-21:30
Bklava 19:00-20:00
Matt Thiss 18:00-19:00

Sundial

Binx 23:00-0:00
Sub Focus 22:00-23:00
Charlie Tee 21:00-22:00
AMA 20:00-21:00
Emily Makis 19:00-20:00
Nathan X 18:00-19:00
Lasko and T.Lee 16:30-18:00
Monika & NafroB 15:00-16:30

Dell Inn

Jamie McCool 20:15-21:00
Pub quiz with The Lovely Eggs 19:30-20:00
Lowes 18:45-19:15
Melanie Williams House Party 17:45-18:30
In Conversation with Gordon Raphael 16:45-17:30
In Conversation with DJ Paulette 16:00-16:30
Lois 15:00-15:30

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The Woods

Craig Charles 19:30-21:00
DJ Paulette 18:00-19:30
Audiowhores 17:00-18:00
Sam Redmore 16:00-17:00
David Dunne 13:00-16:00

The Waterfall

North Fire Soundsystem 19:00-20:00
Daddy1Love 18:00-19:00
Chris Holt 17:00-18:00
John Hayward 16:00-17:00
Jojo & Jnr Jahvis 15:00-16:00
Miss Chop 14:00-15:00
The Buddhakkan Headset 13:00-14:00

Saturday 13 May (gates open from 1pm)

Main stage

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Anne-Marie 21:30-23:00
Lottery Winners 20:00-21:00
Cuban Brothers 18:45-19:30
Gok Wan 17:15-18:15
Toploader 15:45-16:45
Elvana 14:30-15_15
Jamie McCool 13:30-14:00
The Native Cult 12:30-13:00

Memorial

Danny Howard 22:30-00:00
Ki Creighton 21:00-22:30
Arielle Free 19:30-21:00
Pirate Copy 18:15-19:30
Murphy’s Law 17:00-18:15
Matrefakt 15:45-17:00
Beth 14:30-15:45
Nico Balducci 13:15-14:30
Eldon 12:00-13:15

Sundial

Binx 23:00-00:00
Sigma 22:00-23:00
Goddard & MC XL 21:00-22:00
Turno & MC Dreps 20:00-21:00
A Little Sound 19:00-20:00
Binx 18:00-19:00
DJ Clumsy 17:00-18:00
Rek:law 16:00-17:00
Charlie Tee 15:00-16:00
Coded 14:00-15:00
Grimsey 13:00-14:00

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Dell Inn

Vicky Radio 1 (pub quiz) 20:30-21:00
Sk Shlomo 19:30-20:15
Mike Garry 18:45-19:15
Andy Ellis / Thomo Turgoose 17:45-18:30
Cuban Brothers in convo 16:45-17:30
Lowes 16:00-16:30
Rich & Jamie In convo 15:00-15:30
Chris DJing 14:00-14:30

The Woods

Guilty Pleasures 16:00-21:00
Bucky 15:00-16:00
Les Croasdaile 14:00-15:00
Mark Hogg 13:00-14:00
Ginny K 12:00-13:00

The Waterfall

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Jinx in Dub & Cheshire Cat 17:30-19:00
Catch a Fire & MC Dandy Dizzle 16:30-17:30
Matty Banton 15:00-16:30
Prof P 14:00-15:00
Impressa Soundsystem 13:00-14:00
Ranking Miss P 12:00-13:00

Featured image: Robin Zahler

Audio

Fontaines D.C. announce massive gig at Manchester’s Aviva Studios as part of UK tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fontaines D.C Manchester tickets Aviva Studios

Irish post-punk pioneers Fontaines D.C. have just announced a brand new UK and Ireland tour ahead of their new album later this year and leading new arts and live entertainment venue, Aviva Studios, has been selected for their massive Manchester date.

The Dublin powerhouses have emerged as one of the most exciting acts on the planet for our money, combining everything from new wave, alternative and often grungey guitars, to more classic rock and even indie sounds, making them one of the most instantly recognisable sounds on the modern scene.

With all that being said, we cannot wait for their return to Manchester and what will no doubt be one of the biggest and best gigs Aviva Studios has seen yet.

Fontaines D.C. roll up to 0161 in Fall 2024 and they’ll have a brand new album under their belt to boot.

Fontaines D.C. return to Manchester for the first time since 2022.

Home to Factory International, which kicked off an incredible debut calendar of cultural events last year, Aviva Studios is already proving to be an impressive addition to the Manc skyline, especially now it’s coaxing names like Fontaines D.C. to come and perform there over other gig spaces.

Tipped to generate over a £1 billion in revenue for the local economy over the next decade, the importance of this new state-of-the-art venue is hard to overstate.

As for the band themselves, they dropped the lead single entitled ‘Starburster’ this week and it proved to be quite the sea change for often fast, frantic and no-nonsense five-piece. If you haven’t heard it yet, strap in and get ready to be over-exhaling out loud non-stop for the next hour – you’ll see what we mean.

With their fourth record Romance set to release on 23 August, we think it’s fair to say this new record – the first with new producer James Ford (Blur, Arctic Monkeys) – is off to a much more experimental start than their heavily acclaimed 2019 debut, Dogrel.

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Set to take the stage in Aviva Studios’ Warehouse space on Friday, 29 November, Fontaines’ Manchester date is part of a new run of shows announced as part of their full European which kicks off in June.

Heading back from the continent in August and starting off the UK leg in Wolverhampton on 20 November, it’ll be a fast and furious nine-show run culminating with a homecoming concert in Dublin.

Tickets for all headline dates go on general sale at 10am next Friday, 26 April and for first access to presale, fans can pre-order the album by 3pm on 23 April.

You can grab your tickets HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images/Aviva Studios

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Masked Manchester rapper Meekz bursts back with surprise gig in Piccadilly Gardens with JD

Charlie Watkinson Charlie Watkinson Masked Manchester rapper Meeks performed a surprise gig in Piccadilly Gardens

Local rap sensation Meekz is back, if you hadn’t noticed – he burst back onto the scene last week with a surprise gig with JD in Piccadilly Gardens.

The masked Manchester rapper is celebrating the release of his latest single Mini Me’s – and a handful of Mini Meekz posters appeared around town, pasted there by artist collective Pattern Up (then swiftly removed) last week.

Meekz continues to impress with his latest release, a track that’s quickly gaining popularity.

True to form, Meekz delivers not only sonically but visually, teaming up once again with KC Locke to create a stunning music video.

Their collaboration underscores the significance of music videos, reaffirming their lasting impact in the industry.

The video pays homage to their previous work, particularly ‘Like Me’, while also pushing boundaries with a post-apocalyptic CGI rendition of Manchester, reminiscent of scenes from GTA and Marvel movies.

This innovative approach demonstrates the remarkable synergy between Meekz and KC Locke, marking a new pinnacle in their collaborative efforts.

Following the premiere, Meekz treated fans to a memorable performance in Piccadilly Gardens, organised with JD, where he made a grand entrance by gifting miniature Air Max 95’s to his fans before taking the stage atop a large storage container.

Meekz's 'Mini Me's' posters popped up around Manchester last week. Credit: Supplied, patternup.pu
Meekz's 'Mini Me's' posters popped up around Manchester last week. Credit: Supplied, patternup.pu
Meekz's 'Mini Me's' posters popped up around Manchester last week. Credit: Supplied, patternup.pu
Meekz's 'Mini Me's' posters popped up around Manchester last week. Credit: Supplied, patternup.pu
Mini Meekz posters briefly popped up around Manchester last week. Credit: Supplied, patternup.pu

I had the opportunity to speak with Meekz after the premiere, where he shared insights into his upcoming tape, ‘Tru’, slated for release on 24 May.

Additionally, he hinted at exclusive news related to GTA/GTA 6, leaving fans eagerly anticipating his future endeavours.

It’s clear that Meekz continues to innovate and redefine the game with each new project, and we’re excited to see what he has in store next.

KC Locke said: “In the time that the mainstream media is writing articles about the decline of the music video industry, swords and eagles are here to make a stand and show not only are music videos here to stay but they are more important than ever.

“This is a testament to community, bound by a shared vision, we rise and rise again, together, for the culture.”

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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