This year’s BBC Radio 6 Music Festival will take place from Friday 24th – Sunday 26th March in Greater Manchester. The station’s flagship event – which will see global premieres of brand new live shows, new music debuts, unique collaborations and surprise guests – returns to the location of the station’s first ever festival in 2014. Greater Manchester will also be the 6 Music Festival’s permanent home.

Live performances will come from Loyle Carner – featuring a brand new collaboration with the AMC Gospel Choir from Manchester (Friday 24 March), Christine and the Queens – the global premiere of his new live show (Saturday 25 March) and Arlo Parks – the global premiere of new music, with special guests (Sunday 26 March). Further live performances will come from Wu-Lu, Lava La Rue and The Big Moon.

There will also be DJ sets across the weekend from AFRODEUTSCHE, Erol Alkan, Daniel Avery, Don Letts, Good Future, Hot Chip, Jamz Supernova, Steve Lamacq, Tarzsa, The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, Yard Act and BBC Introducing DJs, Emily Pilbeam and Phoebe I-H.

As announced on air today by Mary Anne Hobbs (10.30am-1pm), 6 Music Festival Presents, featuring live performances from the eclectic mix of artists, will take place each night at the O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester. There will also be club nights at Band on the Wall and Victoria Warehouse, themed around 6 Music’s Indie Forever and Rave Forever shows and a Morning After Mix live broadcast on the Sunday at RAMONA.

Highlights from the festival will be broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester from MediaCityUK in Salford, as well as on BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.

Tickets for each separate event will be available from 10am on Thursday 16th February at bbc.co.uk/6musicfestival.

Loyle Carner says: “mad. six years since we last played 6 Music Festival. feels good to be back. the shows evolved a lot since back then, lucky to share the stage with some of my musical heroes. got a few extra voices coming through to lift us up too. see you soon.”

Chris says: “What I will be very eager to share with you for the first time ever will be a glimpse into the second part of the big journey that I started with you guys, with Redcar. Redcar is the first iteration of a very intense musical journey that occupied my two last years. I was heavily inspired by this piece called Angels in America by Tony Kushner when I wrote the music I will unveil to you at that moment. I’m literally so excited to do it that I am for the first time of my life at loss of words in the best way. The follow up of the journey gets into territories that I never explored myself musically before, really. I was a bit obsessed with what rock and roll means today. Very much related to the flesh and to transcendence – to how an incandescent presence inside your own flesh just can transform everything.”

Arlo Parks says: “This is the first time I’ll be introducing my new album in a live setting and I’m so excited. To be surrounded by such innovative, singular artists is a real joy and I genuinely can’t wait for this.”

Wu-Lu says: “I am super excited about playing Manchester again – haven’t been back there in a while! Definitely going to show out, just going to try some new songs and try and do some exclusive stuff! Big shout to 6 Music for showing so much love over the course of our career.”

Lava La Rue says: “The first artist to bring me on a run of shows with them was Christine and the Queens – one of those first shows being in Manchester. It’s going to be exciting joining him on the line up for the 6 Music Festival back in Manny for a full circle moment. I was playing my debut single back on that tour with Chris and now I’ll be playing songs off my debut album at 6 Music Festival.”

The Big Moon says: “We’re so excited to be coming back to Manchester for the 6 Music Festival! Playing Manchester has always been a highlight of our tours, so we’re really excited to be back and this time with a super special surprise.”

Mary Anne Hobbs says: “The most exciting element about the 6 Music Festival is the coming together in a physical space, of our beloved 6 Music listeners, all the crew at the station and artists we love.”

Mark Radcliffe says: “It’s great to welcome the 6 Music festival back to Greater Manchester and particularly exciting that the focus this time will be on new work. It’s all at the Victoria Warehouse. It’s quite dark in there so I have booked an eye test in order to make sure I have the right glasses to see everything.”

Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music says: “6 Music will be rooted in Salford over time, so we’re bringing the festival back home to Greater Manchester, where it all began, with some incredible performances. You may have seen Arlo Parks, Christine and the Queens and Loyle Carner before, but you won’t have seen them like this before. It promises to be a very special weekend indeed.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “We are delighted to welcome the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival to Manchester. There is a rich musical heritage in Greater Manchester, and a real pride in the independent music scene, and as BBC Radio 6 Music has always supported new and alternative artists, it’s a perfect fit for the festival to have its permanent home in the city for the years to come. There’s so much new Greater Manchester music out there right now that deserves to be heard, which is why we started Artist of the Month with BBC Radio Manchester, and like BBC Radio 6 Music, we want to give emerging talent a platform.”

The full line up for the 6 Music Festival 2023 is as follows:

6 Music Festival Presents… at Victoria Warehouse Manchester

6 Music Festival presents Loyle Carner and Wu-Lu – Friday 24th March, from 6.30pm

• Tarzsa (DJ Set)
• Wu-Lu
• Loyle Carner – featuring a brand new collaboration with the AMC Gospel Choir from Manchester

6 Music Festival presents Christine and the Queens and Lava La Rue – Saturday 25th March, from 6.30pm

• Jamz Supernova (DJ set)
• Lava La Rue
• Christine and the Queens – the global premiere of a brand new Christine and the Queens live show

6 Music Festival presents Arlo Parks and The Big Moon – Sunday 26thMarch, from 6.30pm

• Don Letts (DJ set)
• The Big Moon
• Arlo Parks – the global premiere of new music and special guests

Club nights>

6 Music’s Indie Forever at Band on the Wall – Friday 24th March, from 9pm
Nothing but solid gold, upbeat indie bangers from 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and guest DJs:

• BBC Music Introducing’s Emily Pilbeam (DJ set)
• Good Future (DJ set)
• Yard Act (DJ set)
• Tim Burgess (DJ set)

6 Music’s Rave Forever at Victoria Warehouse Manchester – Saturday 25th March, from 11pm

Rave classics that listeners know and love with a sprinkling of the finest new club sounds from 6 Music’s AFRODEUTSCHE and guest DJs:

• BBC Music Introducing’s Phoebe I-H (DJ set)
• Hot Chip (DJ set)
• Erol Alkan (DJ set)

In addition, on the morning of Sunday 26th March (from 12pm), Morning After Mix at RAMONA will see Daniel Avery provide a two-hour DJ set.

Indie Forever, Rave Forever, and the Morning After Mix are weekly shows on 6 Music and BBC Sounds, celebrating the best upbeat indie (Indie Forever), the finest dance music from across the decades (Rave Forever) and offering blissful tracks to ease you into the day (Morning After Mix).

On Thursday 23rd March (from 7.30pm), the 6 Music Festival warms up with BBC Music Introducing Live at Band on the Wall, with sets from Manchester acts including Afflecks Palace, Antony Szmierek and Phoebe Green.