BBC Radio 6 Music Festival to Return to Manchester in March 2025

BBC Radio 6 Music Festival will return next spring, having found a permanent home in Greater Manchester.

Scheduled to take place between March 26-29, 2025, the four-day event is set to bring a mix of live performances and DJ sets to venues across the region. The news was announced live on air this morning (Dec. 3) by broadcaster Nick Grimshaw, who is currently covering the 6 Music breakfast show while regular host Lauren Laverne is recovering following treatment for cancer. Laverne is due to return to the show in the new year.

Throughout the festival, the 6 Music team will be broadcasting live from MediaCity U.K. in Salford. Current presenters include Iggy Pop, Huw Stephens, Mary Anne Hobbs and former London night czar Amy Lamé.

The 6 Music Festival is the station’s flagship event, and is aired across a number of BBC radio, television, and online channels. Since 2023, it has taken place in Greater Manchester, while previous iterations of the festival were hosted in different cities annually across the U.K. including Cardiff, London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle.

In a press release, Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music said: “We’re really proud that our festival brings listeners truly unique performances from the artists they love, alongside a celebration of the fantastic acts that are emerging from Greater Manchester – and 2025 will be no different. We’re so looking forward to bringing the whole station to Greater Manchester again and for four days of incredible live music.”

The line-up for the 2025 edition of the 6 Music Festival will be announced in February. The 2024 event saw performances from headliners Young Fathers, Gossip, and The Smile, while the likes of CMAT and Hak Baker also made appearances across the weekend.

In January 2014, the BBC launched the 6 Music Festival in Manchester with headliner Damon Albarn. In the years that have followed, the event has seen sets from world-renowned acts including Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., Father John Misty and Neneh Cherry.