The UK’s vibrant summer festival calendar has started to take shape, and amongst the many exciting lineups that are starting to come out, The Neighbourhood Weekender, held in Warrington’s Victoria Park, once again, stands out amongst that crowd for Northern Indie-rock fans and is set to transform into a two-day celebration of the most exciting faces and sounds in the indie scene right now.
Since its debut, Neighbourhood Weekender has provided some of the most iconic lineups for the UK’s indie and alt scene, names like The Kooks (2023), Sam Fender (2021) & Fontaines DC (2020) sit amongst their previous lineup. This year’s lineup brings the same energy to the table, from already iconic names to those up-and-coming acts you will want to catch before their big break into the mainstream, truly a lineup you won’t want to miss.
Topping Saturday’s bill is Richard Ashcroft, the former frontman of the critically acclaimed The Verve. As far as opening-day headliners go, he’s the kind that elevates a festival into a collective moment full of emotions and nostalgia. Beyond the headliners, the undercard is where Neighbourhood Weekender really shines. The festival has always had an ear for the future, and 2026’s lineup continues the tradition: The K’s, Arkayla, Nxdia, Esme Emerson, and Alessi Rose are only a few of the many acts to keep a keen eye out for.
Saturday offers a range of sounds & energy, from refreshing new faces to nostalgic party anthems, it sets the stage for a weekend bursting with energy. In contrast to Saturday’s energy, Sunday feels more tailormade to the indie-rock fans. Blossoms sit at the top of Sunday’s lineup, a band that has grown into a melodic and assured crowd-favourite over the years. Sunday’s final hours will feel cinematic and romantic, soundtracked to shimmering synths and bright, charming guitar lines.
Sunday’s highlights are found in the acts leading into Blossoms’s set, with some of the most interesting acts of the weekend playing earlier in the day. Usually framed as comedowns to end a festival, Sunday’s acts like The Fratellis, Luvcat, Keo, The Guestlist, Vilanelle, and The Royston Club show that the Neighbourhood Weekender is avoiding that entirely, serving the crowd some of the most iconic and electric acts in the UK’s music sphere right now.
Neighbourhood Weekenders 2026 lineup succeeds not through sheer size or novelty but through curation. A festival with a clear knack for finding the UK’s next best artists, understanding the cultural lineage of the North West, and amping up crowds. This year’s edition feels reflective of the times: It resists the pressure to chase trends, instead offering a lineup that mirrors what festival-goers genuinely want to see, and in doing so, it may be hosting its most complete edition yet.
Neighbourhood Weekender will be held on the 23rd- 24th of May 2026 in Victoria Park, Warrington, and it’ll be a weekend you won’t want to skip out on. Tickets for 2026 are available now on https://nbhdweekender.com/