Just one week to go until Darwen Live

Darwen Live – the UK’s biggest free music festival – is just one week away, with a huge line-up spanning three stages and more than 20 venues across the town centre.

Topping the bill for 2026 are The Ordinary Boys, Ferocious Dog, X Factor’s Janet Devlin, and a classic dance set from Amnesia.

Festival favourites The Lancashire Hotpots will also be performing, alongside Class of ’79, viral TikToker Ami Alex, and many more over the Saturday and Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend.

The hugely popular event attracts tens of thousands of people every single year.

Darren James from Blackburn with Darwen Council has been involved with the event for more than a decade – first as a volunteer and now as the main organiser for the King George’s Hall team.

He said: ‘’Every year we work really hard to ensure there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Darwen Live, and this year’s line-up really does tick all the boxes.

‘’From punk to country, ska to soul and pop to dance, the main stages are packed across both the Saturday and Sunday with something to suit all tastes.

‘’Every single year we get inundated with applications from acts wanting to perform, and we’ve once again stayed true to Darwen Live’s roots by ensuring there’s a really strong mix of music icons and emerging talent for 2026.

‘’Of course, the three main stages – Market Square, Darwen Library Theatre and Sunbird Records – are just one part of the story too. There’s also more than 20 popular venues across the town centre offering a huge programme of live music.’’

Darwen Live first began back in 2000 and has previously seen the likes of The Buzzcocks, Bay City Rollers, The Hoosiers, Toploader, Toyah, T’Pau, Hot Chocolate and The View headline.

The festival has grown year on year and is now proudly the biggest free music festival in the UK – in fact, organisers believe it may be the biggest free music festival in Europe.

The event is organised and paid for by Blackburn with Darwen Council and is kindly sponsored by Darwen Town Council, which helps ensure it remains free to attend, while also supporting businesses and venues across the town.

Darren added: ‘’People travel from far and wide to enjoy Darwen Live and everything the town has to offer over the Bank Holiday weekend.

‘’It’s also a rare chance for young musicians to share a line-up with big-name acts, including this year’s headliners Ferocious Dog, who are joining us as part of their farewell tour, and The Ordinary Boys, who are currently recording a new album.

‘’It’s a big year for Sunbird Records too, as the grassroots music venue and Darwen Live’s Alternative Stage celebrates its 10th birthday, which is an incredible achievement.

‘’We are really proud to have built it up into the biggest free music festival, and we’re looking forward to seeing crowds once again turning out in their tens of thousands.’’

For music lovers, the Council’s team behind Darwen Live are also busy working on a packed line-up for King George’s Hall’s grand reopening this autumn, following an impressive £14m transformation.

Tickets are already on sale for the likes of Gabrielle, Jason Donovan, The Proclaimers, David Essex, Shed Seven, Tim Peake, Paul Smith, Tez Ilyas and Lucy Beaumont as well as a brand-new panto for 2026, The Wizard of Oz.

And there’s a promise of more still to be revealed too.

Plus, almost £1m of new funding has recently been successfully secured for Darwen Library Theatre – adding to planned investment for the theatre through the Darwen Town Deal. You can read more about that using this link.

For more information on Darwen Live, including the full line-up, please visit darwen.live.