The Northern Quarter festival coming to five iconic venues this weekend

Manchester’s own independent festival will take place in five incredible venues across the Northern Quarter this weekend.

Fair Play will make a successful return on Saturday (April 6) for the third year running. Spanning over several genres, the impressive line-up will feature Marie Davidson and Denzel Himself, alongside local talent like punk quartet Loose Articles, the sibling duo Slap Rash, and Prangers; the trio from Rochdale.

The all-day festival will take centre stage at Band on The Wall, SOUP, The Castle Hotel, and Peer Hat. Speaking to the M.E.N, Fair Play's co-creator Hannah Tinker spoke about how she came up with a festival for experimental and alternative acts in Manchester.

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“I wanted somewhere that would be accepting of all those genres," Hannah explained. "I wanted it where you were going to see an act and not really knowing what genre you would be seeing, but knowing there’s something for you there. “

Alongside Calum Winters and Jacob Brailsford, the trio began working on their festival in 2020. They decided to move their festival from Salford to the Northern Quarter, after the team noticed many of the smaller venues struggled during the pandemic.

“We wanted to stick where we are, and stick with the grassroot venues," Hannah said. "They’re a big part of the festival’s ethos and I think these smaller venues do need this attention and support.”

Adelaide Bogros, Venue Manager for Gullivers and The Castle Hotel, added of the festival's impact: "It's nice to be part of it, and to work with loads of bands, small ones and new ones, it brings a nice feel of community”

According to Adelaide, these venues have