Newsroom

16 July 2026

Free concert planned to celebrate Blackpool's City of Culture bid

Blackpool Opera House will host a star-studded FREE live music event, THE PEOPLE’S STAGE, on Sunday 26 July for everyone to Back the Bid.

Four portraits of artists set to play at the People's Stage concert

There’s a Starman waiting in the sky. And he’s going to blow our minds this July…

Blackpool is set to host one of the biggest FREE music events of the year on Sunday 26 July to showcase the creativity, ambition and community spirit behind Blackpool’s UK City of Culture 2029 bid and celebrate David Bowie: On Tour at Showtown.

Manchester’s renowned Hallé Orchestra and acclaimed singer-songwriter and musician Jack Savoretti will lead a star-packed line-up at the free live concert The People’s Stage at Blackpool Opera House from 7pm. The excitingly eclectic event, which is presented in partnership with Elite Competitions, will also include the All-Star House Band featuring members of iconic northern bands James and The Stone Roses, special appearances from Blackpool’s very own Little Boots and Rae Morris, and a whole host of world-class musicians and performers from all across the region. Full line-up with more star names to be announced!

This spectacular evening of Sound and Vision will form part of Blackpool's campaign to become UK City of Culture 2029 and also celebrate the resort’s major cultural achievement of being the only North West venue to host the V&A’s David Bowie: On Tour archive in 2027.

David Bowie: On Tour will run at Blackpool’s Showtown from Wednesday 30 June to Sunday 26 September 2027 and will feature over 100 highlights from the V&A’s famous Bowie archive - including legendary costumes, musical instruments, career spanning photography and personal treasures, as well as never-before-seen items - including a Ziggy Stardust-era acoustic guitar and handwritten lyrics.

The incredible The People’s Stage live event will be built around the iconic songbook of David Bowie, with each guest artist performing their own interpretation of a Bowie classic, in collaboration with the Hallé Orchestra and All-Star House Band, as well as some of their own top hits.

Hosted by acclaimed Blackpool-born journalist, musician and cultural commentator John Robb, presented by Blackpool Council in association with Showtown and in partnership with top Blackpool company Elite Competitions; the evening promises an unforgettable mix of orchestral music, electronic anthems, spoken word and homegrown talent, sprinkled with a thrilling Ziggy Stardust twist.

The People's Stage event is a free, ticketed event with 2,500 tickets available through a public ballot, which is now open! Click here for more details on how to be in with a chance of winning tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime experience!*

Everyone attending The People's Stage at Blackpool Opera House will also be encouraged to Back the Bid for Blackpool as UK City of Culture 2029. Click here for more details on the bid.

If Blackpool’s bid is successful, it would receive £10m to host a year-long celebration of arts and culture designed for local people, while boosting the visitor economy, creating new jobs and strengthening the town's creative identity for years to come. This would transform the nation’s favourite playground into a bold, brilliant celebration of creativity, joy and shared wonder.

The People’s Stage line-up will bring together artists who reflect Blackpool’s bid: popular, poetic, diverse, northern, joyful and ambitious, and will include:

Manchester's legendary Hallé Orchestra; soulful superstar Jack Savoretti; the spectacular All-Star House Band featuring six acclaimed musicians from legendary northern bands including James, The Stone Roses and The Courteneers; electronic pop superstar and DJ Little Boots; acclaimed singer songwriter Rae Morris; a specially commissioned Blackpool lyric by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage; a piece from Blackpool spoken artist Nathan Parker; top Northern Soul singer Darrell Smith, and Blackpool’s uplifting Electric Pink Voices LGBTQ+ choir, with more exciting live acts to be announced.

Saul Davies, guitarist and violinist from the multi-million selling, Manchester-formed band James, will play with the All-Star House Band on the night and has also curated the event, along with Spencer Phillips, Chair of the Blackpool Heritage and Museum Trust, which operates Showtown, and Joe Duddell who is the event Musical Director. Joe is a composer, arranger and conductor known for moving fluently between classical and popular music, and for major orchestral collaborations with artists including Elbow, James, New Order and the Hallé.

Saul said:

“Blackpool's always had a special magic about it. There's an energy that gets under your skin, and it's a place that's given James some unforgettable nights over the years. The Empress Ballroom gigs are the stuff of legend - those crowds, that atmosphere, it stays with you. So when the chance came for me to be part of The People's Stage and help support Blackpool's UK City of Culture 2029 bid, it was an easy yes. It's a huge privilege to be involved in this amazing event. Blackpool's a place that's always known how to put on a show and it truly deserves the spotlight.”

The People’s Stage host, John Robb, said of this amazing free event:

“This is not simply a concert. It’s a civic statement. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring people together in the place that has always known how to entertain the nation, and to say clearly: Blackpool is ready. Blackpool believes. Blackpool belongs on the national cultural stage. This is not a closed cultural event. It’s for the people. It also gives Blackpool residents a stake in the City of Culture campaign and a reason to feel proud.”

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said:

“This is an amazing moment for Blackpool and an opportunity to show the rest of the country the ambition, creativity and community spirit that makes our town so special. The People’s Stage will celebrate the outstanding talent Blackpool has nurtured over the years, alongside artists who have a genuine connection to our town. By making this a free event, we're ensuring that as many people as possible can come together to enjoy an unforgettable evening and celebrate everything that makes Blackpool unique. I encourage everyone to enter the ballot, celebrate our town, and help us show the nation why Blackpool deserves to be the UK's City of Culture 2029."

The People’s Stage is presented in partnership with Elite Competitions. Alex Beckett, CEO of Elite Competitions, said:

"Blackpool is our home, so being able to support the town's bid for UK City of Culture means a great deal to us. It's an important moment for both our business and the local community, and we're looking forward to an exciting event while continuing to back the place that's supported us from the very beginning."

The UK City of Culture is a title given every four years to a UK city or local area. Blackpool has currently been longlisted to the second round for 2029 and is in the running against 8 other cities. Blackpool isn’t technically a city, but the title is open to all large places, and as the 45th largest place in the UK, Blackpool is bigger than some cities.

The timing could also not be more fitting. In addition to the 150th anniversary of the Blackpool Illuminations, 2029 marks 135 years since the opening of renowned heritage buildings and culture centres The Blackpool Tower and Blackpool Grand Theatre, while the Winter Gardens celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2028.

Let’s Dance as we come together at The People’s Stage this July to Back the Bid for Blackpool as UK City of Culture 2029!

The People’s Stage concert will take place on Sunday 26 July from 7pm until 9.30pm at Blackpool Opera House.

Click here to enter the ticket ballot and sign up to Back the Bid for Blackpool as UK City of Culture 2029.

*Terms & conditions apply for the free ticket ballot.

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