On 3rd and 4th June 2023, Salford Quays hosted the very first We Invented the Weekend Festival. This non-ticketed and mostly free festival was designed to be a celebration of our free time and the fact that the concept of the weekend was invented right here in Manchester! There were absolutely loads of activities and events planned across the days from local partners such as RHS Bridgewater, BBC, The Lowry, MediaCity, University of Salford and the Museum of Science and Industry, plus lots of smaller local businesses too.
This family-friendly festival had something for absolutely everyone, and clearly tried to represent everything that people love to do with their free time: gardening, crafting, sports, shopping, reading, walking, music, theatre, yoga and even thought-provoking lectures. It was spread across various sites in the MediaCity and Salford Quayside and I’m not kidding when I say there were so many activities planned that they were spread across 15 pages on the website!
I attended really casually on the Sunday with no plan in mind except to have a wander and see what was happening. On my way in I spotted lawn games in the sunshine and veggie growing advice sessions for wannabe gardeners. And then I came across free crafting sessions inside the Quayside shopping centre (lucky me!) so I spent an enjoyable 30 minutes creating this cute mushroom lino print with Creative Coati, who run full workshops there all year round.
After this I wandered over to the MediaCity area where there was lots going on, from market stalls and food/drink tents to reading hubs and plant swaps, wandering entertainment from the Bread and Butter Theatre Company to the main Weekend Stage at MediaCity Piazza. There was a huge secondhand clothing market called Charity Supermarket, a CBeebies tent (which I chose not to enter), natural fabric dying sessions on the grass, and lots of people enjoying the sunshine in deckchairs. Things I didn’t spot but I know were also going on include football, swimming, climbing and archery, DJ cruises, and a fun dog show on Sunday morning. But to be honest this barely scratches the surface of the range of activities on offer across the weekend!
The atmosphere was fantastic! Thanks to the glorious weather, loads of people turned out and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was plenty for younger children as well as teenagers and adults, and although it seemed busy, it was all very relaxed and there seemed to be loads of space to sit and chill too.
I didn’t stick around until the festival close, but I did watch along on their Insta stories and it looked fantastic! There was a finale Free Time Parade where a huge group of people paraded around the quays with handmade placards stating what the weekend means to them. And the parade ended back at the Piazza where Craig Charles was in the middle of his DJ set, which itself had an amazing buzz to it.
I’m so pleased this inaugural festival was a huge success! As someone who lives right on the doorstep it was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday, and I can’t wait to see it return in future years. And if you’re based in Greater Manchester I can highly recommend this event. Because Manchester really did invent the weekend!
English Rose from Manchester's Blog 