A popular Salford festival which celebrates the city’s role in inventing the concept of the two-day leisure period has unveiled its programme of 200 free events ahead of its return this summer.
The weekend was invented in the city in 1843 when Salford Lyceum Director and workers’ rights activist Robert Lowes campaigned for mill workers not to work on Saturday afternoons, paving the way for Britons to enjoy official time off.
A festival celebrating the weekend and the “leisure time, free time and me time” it provides has been held in Media City and Salford Quays since 2023.
Across Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, more than 80,000 visitors are expected to attend Salford’s ‘We Invented the Weekend’ festival to participate in more than 200 free activities as it returns to the city for a third time.
Organisers have worked with several partners ranging from the BBC, the Lowry, the University of Salford, the RHS, English National Opera, Imperial War Museum North and Play England, as well as community and grassroots organisations, to plan the “perfect weekend.”
A jam-packed programme including live music, action-packed sports, family fun, theatre, DJ sets, exclusive tours, art workshops, thought-provoking talks, street food, boat trips, and wellbeing sessions will take place across Media City and Salford Quays.
People will be able to watch Perfect Pitch, a World-Cup-inspired performance by English National Opera and outdoor arts organisation Walk the Plank, featuring hundreds of singers from local choirs and football clubs, before listening in to talks with Salford legends, including former Joy Division and New Order star Peter Hook.
Meanwhile, taster sessions in BMX, yoga and movement, open swimming, football for all ages and abilities, cycling, running, and Taekwondo will take place alongside.
The third iteration of the much-loved festival brings Club Culture, an area dedicated to recognising the region’s rich contribution, past and present, to electronic dance music.
Festival goers will enjoy wide-ranging sounds from local DJs with a female and non-binary identifying line-up on Saturday, plus Living Room Dance Club, Semi Peppered and Aficionado on Sunday.
DJs looking to hone their skills will have the opportunity to learn from the event headliners through a number of workshops and panels aiming to put dance music in the spotlight.
From artisan craft stalls to independent food stands, businesses from across Salford and beyond will descend on the Quays for the festival, paying homage to our favourite time of the week.
We Invented The Weekend will take place on 6 and 7 June at MediaCity and Salford Quays. More information is available via the We Invented the Weekend website.
