Outwards

It would be quicker – and easier – to list the dance music icons not appearing at Outwards, the new festival taking a bow on the edge of the Mancunian Way.

We’re talking Orbital, Carl Craig, Moodymann, The Orb, Octave One, A Certain Ratio, LTJ Bukem, and acid pioneer himself DJ Pierre.

It’s a stunner. And there’s even a special guest that’s yet to be announced, just for some added drama.

Landing on 2 May, Outwards spreads itself across five connected outdoor spaces in Ardwick, pulling together a 5,000-capacity crowd for a full day into night session that moves between live acts, DJs and everything around them.

On the live side, Orbital headline alongside Octave One, Paranoid London, The Grid and The Orb, with A Certain Ratio and Black Grape adding that Manchester lineage of post-punk bleeding into rave culture.

The DJ bill goes just as deep. Moodymann and Carl Craig link up for a rare Detroit pairing, DJ Pierre brings the acid foundations, and the rest of the programme is stacked with selectors like Midland, Josey Rebelle, Pearson Sound, OK Williams and Suze Ijó.

It’s not just a case of stage to stage either. There’s a full run of artist talks, panel discussions and workshops happening across the day, plus exhibitions digging into electronic music history, independent record fairs, and a hi-fi listening bar if you want to take things down a notch for a bit.

Food and drink comes from a curated lineup of local traders, and once the outdoor programme wraps, the whole thing spills out into afterparties across Manchester.

Big names, proper depth, proper history.