{"id":576581,"date":"2025-11-17T17:26:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T17:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/576581\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T17:26:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T17:26:31","slug":"major-change-to-merseyside-music-festival-after-rock-legends-confirmed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/576581\/","title":{"rendered":"Major change to Merseyside music festival after rock legends confirmed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bootle’s Music Weekender Festival has already played host to some of the biggest stars in music including Tom Jones and Billy Ocean\"SugababesSugababes perform at Salt & Tar in Bootle(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

A major change has been announced to a much-loved Merseyside musical festival, just weeks after confirming rock \u2018n roll royalty for its first headline act. Bootle<\/a>\u2019s Music Weekender has has already played host to some of the biggest stars in music including Tom Jones and Billy Ocean, but will now be relocated to a new venue for August 2026.<\/p>\n

The music weekender has taken place at Salt and Tar for its 2024 and 2025 events<\/a>, but that venue is no longer viable for the 2026 festival. Salt & Tar opened next to Bootle Strand in 2024<\/a> and was launched by local band Red Rum Club who are part owners of the premises along with Sefton<\/a> Council.<\/p>\n

The project was established with \u00a32.1m of Combined Authority funding and was granted permission to operate for five years in 2021. However, it is also situated adjacent to a major regeneration project that includes demolition work to Bootle Strand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Liverpool ECHO<\/a> reported in June that demolition works had started at Bootle Strand, and that work is still ongoing and expected to run into 2026. As a result, the council said it has had to relocate the music weekender, as those plans also include an expansion to Salt and Tar.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdsCrowds joined in during The Real Thing’s performance of their hit song You to Me Are Everything(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

The August 2026 event will be hosted at Lock & Quay, Bootle\u2019s much-loved, community-owned pub and canalside venue. Known for its commitment to reinvesting all profits back into the local area, it has a large garden and green space adjoining the canal, which will be transformed into a vibrant festival site for next year, including a headliner performance by The Waterboys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council\u2019s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said: \u201cSalt and Tar\u2019s Music Weekender has become a key asset for Bootle, attracting visitors from across Merseyside and beyond. It\u2019s supporting the town\u2019s regeneration and also delivering real economic and social benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Strand transformation progressing well, Lock & Quay is the perfect temporary venue to host the festival in 2026 while we continue to make the permanent site bigger and better for future events.<\/p>\n

\"StatusStatus Quo play at Salt and Tar Music Festival in Bootle this evening(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2026 Salt and Tar Music Weekender will be an event on the same scale with the same capacity, the same great atmosphere, the same friendly staff and the same number of tasty food vendors that have become so popular in previous years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to take Salt and Tar on tour for the 2026 Music Festival and bring back the good time Salt and Tar vibes to Bootle\u2019s canalside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian Dawe, CEO of SAFE Regeneration, the organisation behind Lock & Quay said: \u201cWe\u2019re genuinely excited about what\u2019s happening on Bootle\u2019s canal-side.<\/p>\n

“The partnership between Salt & Tar and Lock & Quay is all about working together, bringing amazing artists, live performances, and a real sense of community to the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy joining forces, we\u2019re not just putting Bootle on the map for music and culture; we\u2019re building something special for everyone who lives here. 2026 is going to be a big year, and I can\u2019t wait to see how our collective efforts shape a brighter, more connected future for Bootle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bootle’s Music Weekender Festival has already played host to some of the biggest stars in music including Tom…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[2648,748,393,920,4884,179,12393,12460,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-576581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-bootle","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-events","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-new-music","15":"tag-sefton-council","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115566216054154813","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}