After a hugely-successful launch year last summer – which saw 60,000 visitors descend onto MediaCity and its neighbouring Salford areas – We Invented the Weekend will once again transform Salford Quays into a hub of family-friendly fun this June, all in a bid to “celebrate what people get up to over the weekend”.
An exciting programme of performances and activities has been teased this week – including an “unforgettable” Sunday afternoon DJ set from Manc icon, DJ Paulette.
The 2024 edition of the festival will take over MediaCity on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June.
Although the full lineup is yet to be released, organisers say festivalgoers can expect an specially-curated programme of over 200 events and activities, with something for people of all ages and backgrounds to get stuck into.
As well as DJ Paulette’s special Sunday afternoon set, there’s also set to be more “unmissable” headline moments scattered throughout the weekend celebrations.
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And the best bit about it all? The festival is completely FREE to head on down to.
Salford’s popular We Invented the Weekend festival confirms 2024 return / Credit: Mark Waugh (via Supplied)
“The concept of We Invented the Weekend is like no other,” commented festival co-founder, Wayne Hemingway.
“And based off the tens of thousands of people who visited on that wonderfully sunny, uplifting weekend last year, it’s clear people are understanding the ethos and meaning of the festival, so it’s incredibly impactful to be able to put on We Invented the Weekend as a free large-scale event in the place where the weekend was created in 1843.
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“The event doesn’t just celebrate what we all get up to at the weekend, but is also a moment to recognise the culture, heritage, and legacy of Salford and Greater Manchester.”
The popular cultural celebration will be descending on Salford Quays once again this summer / Credit: Supplied
2023’s edition of the festival saw well-known names like the BBC, the RHS, The Lowry, and Manchester‘s legendary Science and Industry Museum host special events, plus loads of local creatives and community-run organisations presented over 200 free performances and activities to help MediaCity achieve its highest footfall moment in its history.
Not only that, the 2023 festival also brought in more than £3.2 million to the local economy too, so it’s no wonder organisers are bringing it back for more again this summer, right?
We Invented the Weekend 2024 is happening down at MediaCity on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Mark Waugh (via Supplied)
What's On
Trailer released for new Harlan Coben thriller series Lazarus filmed in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The trailer for Harlan Coben’s newest thriller series filmed in Manchester has been released ahead of airing later this month.
You may remember that, back in January of last year, Netflix confirmed it would be creating two more new Harlan Coben shows, following the smash-hit success of Fool Me Once starring Manchester’s-own Michelle Keegan – titled Missing You and Run Away.
Missing You went on to air on New Year’s Day this year, and it was announced in late January that Run Awaywas set to begin filming, again in Manchester, very soon.
But it turns out it’s not only Netflix that Harlan Coben fans need to be keeping their eye on, as Amazon Prime Video is now getting in on the action too.
First look images have been shared ahead of the release of Harlan Coben’s new thriller series filmed in Manchester / Credit: Ben Blackall (via Prime Video)
Prime Video has now released the official trailer for the highly-anticipated new thriller series Lazarus, which is based on an original story idea and written by the New York Times best-selling author, Harlan Coben, alongside his regular writing collaborator, BAFTA-winner Danny Brocklehurst.
Coben has worked with the critically-acclaimed Hyde-born screenwriter – who is most-famous for being the creator and writer of Sky One’s Brassic – for the creation of Lazarus, and it’s expected to be around the sixth time the pair have collaborated, with their previous successful works including Safe, The Stranger, and Stay Close.
Lazarus is set to follow title character Joel Lazarus who returns home after his father Dr Jonathan Lazarus dies by suicide, and begins to have disturbing experiences that can’t be explained.
He quickly becomes entangled in a series of cold-case murders as he grapples with the mystery of his father’s death and his sister’s murder 25 years ago.
The six-part thriller series stars big names like Sam Claflin as Joel Lazarus, and Bill Nighy as his father Dr Jonathan – with supporting performances coming from Alexandra Roach, David Fynn, Karla Crome and Kate Ashfield, to name just a few.
The show will be executive produced by Harlan Coben and Danny Brocklehurst, alongside star Sam Claflin, BAFTA-winner Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee for Quay Street Productions – which is part of ITV Studios.
All six episodes of Lazarus are set to be exclusively released Prime Video on Wednesday 22 October in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Featured Image – Ben Blackall (via Prime Video)
What's On
Manc music legends James announce MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Emily Sergeant -
1st February 2024 
