Salford will see a year of celebrations to mark 100 years since King George V officially granted Salford city status.
The centenary will be marked by a year-long programme celebrating everything that makes the city great, allowing the community to celebrate the past, present and future.
Residents, communities, businesses, and visitors are all being invited to take part in festivities from street parties to arts and culture programmes in 2026.
The announcement was made today by Salford City Council today (Wednesday 16 July) with a meeting of its full council agreeing to support a cultural, civic, and educational programme during the year.
For the celebrations, the authority has agreed to set aside up to £1.5m from its earmarked reserves, as a maximum amount of funding that could be used to support the centenary programme.
The full council decision also commits the authority to establish a steering group to ensure partners across the city can contribute and help to shape the developing programme.
Following the decision made by the full council, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “This is a remarkable moment in time for Salford, and it is right that we all have the opportunity to come together to celebrate what makes Salford great.
“Our history has its roots in our mills, docks and working-class heritage. We have become a modern, global city, with world-class media, arts, and education institutions.
“Our communities remain strong, with proud neighbourhood and cultural identities and sense of place.”
The former County Borough of Salford was granted city status in 1926 and thus making it the second city in Greater Manchester, a city with a lot of history.
As the Salford Mayor continued to credit the city’s progress and history over the past 100 years speaking about the “the artists, the pioneers and the community champions who have provided the inspiration, passion, dedication and true Spirit of Salford.”
He added: “We have a city to be proud of, and it is only right that we celebrate the first 100 years, whilst we also look ahead to how we collectively shape the next 100 years of Salford’s history.
“This is the chance for us all to join together to celebrate our past, present and future,” the Salford Mayor continued.
The full council decision paves the way for the authority to work with partners across the city, from educational institutions to community and voluntary groups.
And will also pave the way for big and local businesses that call Salford home, as it will develop a year-long calendar of celebrations, educational programmes, and events.
Ahead of the year-long Centenary celebrations, Deputy City Mayor Jack Youd added: “This is a proud celebration of the Spirit of Salford, the likes of which our city has never seen before, and the scope and scale of what we can achieve and deliver – as a city – is exciting.
“It’s our chance to come together as Salfordians. We already know that there are some significant other milestone anniversaries in 2026 – it’s 100 years since the General Strike, a pivotal moment in the working-class movement.”
He continued: “It’s the 180th anniversary of Peel Park. We’ll be reopening the historic and fully restored Buile Hill Mansion again. There is a lot to be excited about, and this is just the start.”
More information about Salford’s centenary will be made available, and can be found here.
And for residents, communities and businesses who would like to add their stories and suggestions to the city’s celebrations can contact the council here.
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