The full programme has now been revealed for Get In! To Eccles, the new festival taking over Eccles town centre on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March 2026, bringing two days of music, art, performances, workshops, markets and installations into venues, streets and spaces across the town centre.
Events will take place throughout the weekend across the high street, shopping centre, town hall and local venues, with the festival designed so people can drop in for an hour, stay all day, or spend the whole weekend seeing what’s going on.
Across both days, artist Lowri Evans presents joyful new installations and interactive works at Eccles Train Station, inspired by its passengers, volunteers and the everyday movement through the town. Inside Eccles Shopping Centre, artist Freya Wysocki’s Moss Dreams transforms an empty unit into an immersive, playful installation inspired by the hidden world of moss, with large-scale sculptures, fabric, lighting, sound and interactive elements encouraging visitors of all ages to explore and take part. At Eccles Community Art Gallery, the group exhibition Our Eccles brings together local artists sharing their own impressions and experiences of the place they call home.
On Saturday, local organist Lizzie Bell will perform twice at 11:30am and 2pm at St Mary’s Parish Church, followed by two performances from string trio Amba Strings at 12:30pm and 1:30pm. The church will also host drop-in workshops throughout the afternoon, with Salford Badge Club, a collage-based community workshop open to all ages, helping visitors turn their ideas into custom wearable art, alongside a family craft session led by Eccles Community Art Gallery.
Exhibitions and installations remain open across the centre during the day, before the sold-out 6 Music Festival and FaT OuT present Lauren Auder, Naima Bock & R.AGGS at Eccles Town Hall Ballroom, recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music, the UK’s biggest digital-only radio station with 2.4m weekly listeners. The line-up brings together three of the most distinctive emerging voices in alternative music, spanning art-pop, folk-leaning songwriting and experimental post-punk energy.
In the evening, live music continues across local venues, including a performance from the Greek Folk Band at Illirian Greek from 7:30pm, and sets at 96 Degrees Eccles from vocal harmony trio The Mollies at 7:30pm, followed by local folk singer Paul Wright at 8:30pm.
Sunday events will be kicking off at Eccles Town Hall Ballroom with two performances of the BBC Philharmonic’s CBeebies Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man at 10:15am and 11:15am, featuring musicians from the orchestra and a live narrator in a fun, interactive retelling aimed at younger audiences but open to all ages.
Later in the afternoon, Music Through The Ages, presented by local music school The Music Shed and hosted by Manchester's legendary drum and bass songstress Jenna G, takes place from 3:30pm to 5:45pm, bringing together bands of different ages performing modern rock, blues, pop and classic songs, including a set of music from 1926 to mark Salford’s centenary year.
Across the town centre on Sunday, the Independent Street Artisan Market runs on Church Street from 11am to 4pm, with Independent Street bringing together local independent businesses, makers and producers from across the area.
At Eccles Community Chess Club, a Tandem Chess Simul takes place from 2pm to 4pm, giving visitors the chance to challenge UK Grandmaster Danny Gormally and resident Candidate Master Mike Surtees as they take on multiple games at once.
Later in the afternoon, Bandeoke at The Lamb Hotel runs from 3:30pm to 6pm, giving people the chance to perform with a live band, before the weekend finishes with an evening photowalk led by photographer Simon Buckley (Not Quite Light), starting at 6:30pm, exploring the streets around Eccles town centre.
All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated. Some activities require free tickets due to limited capacity, including the BBC Philharmonic performances, Music Through The Ages and the photowalk, while the 6 Music Festival and FaT OuT show on Saturday is ticketed and now sold out.
Get In! To Eccles runs across Eccles town centre on 28-29 March 2026.
Find out more here