Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy is bringing The Weight Of The Woods tour to Manchester for a night of powerful ballads and bangers.
After busking for a considerable time, Kennedy took to streaming platforms to upload his music before dropping notable tracks like ‘Glory’, ‘Moments Passed, ‘Power Over Me’, ‘Giants’ and more.
Since then, this Irish performer has amassed a total of 9 million monthly listeners and multiple songs with over 100 million streams across three chart-topping albums.
In 2023, Dermot Kennedy teamed up with electronic music group Meduza for a monster of a collaboration titled ‘Paradise’, which peaked at 5 on the UK Official Charts.
Gig guide | Dermot Kennedy at AO Arena, Manchester
Are there any tickets left for Dermot Kennedy at AO Arena?
Hoping for some ‘Better Days’? Well, maybe that can happen by getting the chance to see Dermot Kennedy live on his latest ‘The Weight Of The Woods Tour” in support of his most recent album of the same name, which dropped back in April.
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Don’t be ‘Outnumbered’ and grab a ticket or two for Dermot Kennedy on Saturday, 30 May at AO Arena in Manchester HERE.
What are the stage times for Dermot Kennedy in Manchester?
AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you’ll be leaving the venue reminiscing ‘An Evening I Will Not Forget’ before the sun’s up.
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Supporting Dermot Kennedy on the night will be some of his fellow countrymen in the form of Irish trio, Amble, who will be taking the Manchester crowd on a journey to ‘Mary’s Pub’ and reflecting on ‘Schoolyard Days’.
Getting to AO Arena
Tram
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
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Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
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A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
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Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.
Kendal Calling festival guide 2026 – stages, times, travel, and everything you need to know
Danny Jones
It’s that time again: time to head back up Lake District way and over to the town of Penrith for Kendal Calling 2026.
No, it isn’t technically in Kendal, but it is absolutely mint – so shut your face.
Comfortably one of our favourite festivals of the year and not just one of the best in the North but the entire country, if you ask us, it sells out early every year and never, ever disappoints.
For those of you who are heading to Kendal Calling for the first time or returning for another consecutive year like us, we’ve put together a handy festival guide to steer you through the entire long weekend filled with art, music, culture, and unlimited good vibes.
Now, while we already shared the lineup for this year back in December, this is a good chance to refamiliarise yourself with it if you haven’t already, especially since you’ve not got the confirmed stage splits for Kendal 2026.
Marking its 21st iteration and yet another sold-out edition with one of its best rosters ever – to be honest, it’s been selling out and getting better every year since it first started back in 2006 – the likes of award-winning British favourites Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice and Two Door Cinema Club lead the lineup.
And that’s just the main stage.
Then you’ve got everyone from Primal Scream and The Coral, Scissor Sisters, Circa Waves and Doves, to The Libertines, The Vaccines, Deaf Havana, Groove Armada, Neighbourhood headliners Keo and SO much more. Find the full breakdown of who’s playing where down below.
Speaking of the stages, there are 11 proper different live music sites this year – not to mention all other smaller tents and pop-ups around the wider festival site which spans roughly 120 hectares.
You can find out a little bit more about each of them here:
Main Stage – Where all the action and big headliners are playing at the northernmost spot.
Parklands – The second largest stage, pretty much smack bang in the middle of the site; there’s also a brilliant Glow takeover by night.
Calling Out – Rounding out the trio of Kendal stages with even more big acts to the west.
Woodlands – Exactly what it sounds like: a cosy stage set within the Lost Eden forest.
Chai Wallahs – Another large tent towards the North East of the site, boasting a variety of genres.
The Soapbox – Just northwest of Parklands, it’s where most of the live comedy is taking place.
Tim Peaks Diner – Named after Salford icon Tim Burgess himself, this little hut is built for more pared-down sets.
Desert Island Disco – Where the electronic scene goes to shine and usher in the late-night fun.
Roots – Built to spotlight emerging talent from across the region, there are gems to be found here.
The Town Hall – One of the newer additions to the festival alongside the official Kendal Calling pub, which first began back in 2023.
Azaadi – Last but not least, there’s the all-new Azaadi stage: a late-night mini venue curated by DJ Bobby Friction, specialising in alt-Desi electronica, global bass, and South Asian sounds following a fantastic debut at Glasto.
And then, of course, there’s Lost Eden out in the neon and fairylit woods, Kendal’s own aforementioned pub, The Stagger Inn; dedicated children’s stages, Oktoberfest and plenty more.
Kendal Calling festival site map
We’ll admit it can take a minute to properly orientate with your surroundings, especially when it’s packed with more than 40,000 people, so with all those different locations to get to grips with, the map always comes in handy.
As always, we’d reccommend downloading copies of it HERE when you save a screenshot of the lineup, for instance, but there will also be printed copies available and being handed out by staff over the course of the weekend.
Until then, this should do you just fine…
Travel info – how to get there, parking and more
If you’re wondering how to get to Kendal Calling, once again: the festival takes place at Lowther Deer Park in Hackthorpe near Penrith, Cumbria (no, it’s not quite Kendal).
For the sake of ease when it comes to popping the location into the SatNav, the postcode is CA10 2HT.
By car
Located roughly 25 minutes north of its namesake Kendal, you can drive up there via the M6 and south down the A6 from Penrith. You can easily download full directions on Google Maps.
Parking
The general car park is adjacent to the general campsites, but BE AWARE, the further away you park, the longer the walk up that hill – and it is a big one, we’re afraid.
Also, pre-warning, you must bring any alcohol purchased from outside the festival site up on the first trip up to your pitch. We found out the hard way…
Hoping to encourage people to carpool and ride share where possible, with Kendal remaining a dedicated and environmentally-conscious event (see their ‘Leave Nothing But Memories’ mission statement, for example), there is a charge for parking separate from festival admission.
Passes can be purchased online in advance for £24.50, or you can pay on the day for £40, but just like downloading/printing out your tickets prior to entry, we’d obviously advise you plan ahead and get them ready beforehand.
Emperors Field, Great Plains, Deer Lodge and Tangerine Fields all have their own respective car parks, which require specific parking passes as part of campsite upgrade packages. You can see all the options and secure your parking HERE.
The nearest train station to the festival site is Penrith (also known as Penrith North Lakes), which is just a 15-minute taxi journey from the site.
Alternatively, you can hop on the special shuttle bus service that runs from the station to the festival at various points over the weekend. Various services are available from Scotland, Birmingham, London, here in Manchester and across the North West – for example:
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From Birmingham New Street to Penrith (2h31m) — trains every hour
From London Euston to Penrith (3 hours) — trains every 30 minutes
From Glasgow to Penrith (1h21m) — trains every hour
From Edinburgh to Penrith (1h30m) — trains every hour
From Lancaster to Penrith (34 mins) — regular service
From Manchester Piccadilly to Penrith (1h41m) – trains every 30 minutes, change at Preston
Shuttles will run to and from Penrith (North Lakes) Station to Kendal Calling from 10am-18:45pm on Thursday and 8:30am-19:15pm on Friday. They won’t resume again until early Monday, with the final service lasting from 8:30am-13:15pm.
The festival has a dedicated pick-up and drop-off point (PUDO) outside at Green Gate. Follow the road signage as you get closer to the site for directions to the PUDO, which is also where you’ll find the taxi rank alongside our coach drop-off spot – just a short 5-10 minute walk to the wristband exchange too.
By coach/mini-bus
Speaking of coaches, you can find ticket prices for official services from destinations like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and many more places across the UK by the likes of festival veterans, Big Green Coach, as well as National Express right HERE.
Other activities and entertainment on at Kendal Calling beyond the music
Once again, the music is obviously the big draw for the Lowther Deer Park party, but there is tonnes of other stuff to be enjoyed through the course of what we consider a mini bank holiday of sorts.
Last year saw Bongo’s Bingo make its maiden visit to a festival, and then of course there’s the usual Picturehouse cinema with movies on all day and special screenings for the little ones; the annual parade, which shows off all the ribbons and colours of the rainbow cinema, live comedy and lots more.
From live performers, a whole host of fantastic food and drinks traders, freebies up for grabs, and even dedicated accessibility areas such as the Sensory Calm Space, they really do cater to everyone.
You only have to wander into one of the alternative live theatre shows, their silent discos or the famous Lost Eden forest to be transported to virtually any kind of world you could want.
Getting underway from 5pm on Thursday, 30 July and running all the way until Sunday night (and well into the early hours, by the way), Kendal Calling 2026 is finally upon us.
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Judging by the lineup alone and the new additions they’ve brought into the mix, it really is looking like another belter.
In case anyone’s questioning just how much we and so many others across the region love this festival, not to mention all the others who travel from far and wide to enjoy the all-ages extravaganza, you only need to check out our review from last year. Or from 2024 – and the year before that, and the year…
Co-op Live appears to tease major Mariah Carey Christmas gig sending fans into a frenzy
Emily Sergeant
All we want for Christmas… is Mariah Carey in Manchester.
And maybe, just maybe, our Christmas wish might come true very soon, as Co-op Live has taken to social media today to tease its next gig announcement with its hundreds of thousands of followers, and without jumping to conclusions, it does appear to be hinting at the queen of Christmas herself making an appearance.
Look, we know it’s only July and right in the middle of summer, but even if you think it’s too early to be talking about the festive season, you have to admit that the potential of Mariah Carey coming to Manchester is worth getting excited any time of the year.
The US pop powerhouse last performed in our city nearly a decade ago now when she brought her famous All I Want For Christmasshow to the UK for the first time ever, taking to sold-out Manchester Arena stage on 10 December 2017.
Mariah has not performed in Manchester since, but all that could be set to change as Co-op Live has hinted that an announcement is ‘coming soon’.
Taking to its official social media platforms today, Co-op Live posted a very festive-themed AI video of snow falling on the arena as the camera zoomed in and the instrumental of Mariah’s absolutely iconic hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ playing in the background, and the caption hinting at the song’s title too.
Of course, we could be wrong, it might not be Mariah at all, but if the 300+ comments from fans in a frenzy thinking the same as us are anything to go by, it’s looking like we might be right.
“The countdown to Christmas is on,” Co-op Live said in its video, before letting fans know that they would be getting some form of confirmation soon.
Thomas Melia -
29th May 2026 
