The community-first festival showcasing the best musicians in the North turns five this year returning with a three-part series of festivals across June, July and September
Manchester based festival Green Island Festival announces 2025 dates and wave one of the line-up. The three-part series of day festivals will return on June 7th to celebrate its fifth anniversary, with the second chapter on the 26th July, and final date on 6th September 2025.
2025 marks Green Island Festival’s fifth anniversary, born with the mission of creating a space to platform and celebrate the flourishing scene of musicians and DJs in the North, as well as championing sounds of the global majority with artists from as far and wide as Brazil and Senegal taking to their stages. Beginning as a 150-person capacity event in 2021 with just two stages, the past four years have seen Green Island evolve to become a staple event in Manchester’s grassroots music scene, cherished for its commitment to celebrating multiculturalism, individualism and music in all its diversity of sounds and forms, with unrivalled up-close performances, and a charming and welcoming atmosphere.
This year the festival will return to Hulme Community Garden Centre, in the musically rich area of Hulme. The 1,500 capacity festival will house four stages that sprawl across the leafy terrain, creating a haven in the centre of the city. Manoeuvre between the plants and trees to discover the various stages, each with a unique atmosphere, showcasing different sounds, as well as a block party occupying Warwick Street.
Joining the Main Stage in June will be Cooper T, the balaclava-wearing duo who truly embody the Northern spirit and profess to make music for misfits. For July, joining Conor & The GreensKeepers and Meduulla, will be the musician’s musician, Reuben James, whose intuitive and infectious sound is as indebted to classic funk and soul as it is contemporary pop and R&B. For September, Transmission Towers join the bill – a two-piece, cosmic machine soul outfit made up of Mark Kyriacou and Eleanor Mante who manoeuvre between interplanetary bass-heavy beats, stripped-back, odd-ball soul and highlife afro-futurism.
Joining The Street Stage in June, Ruby Wood for a special DJ set, Habitat’s very own Toni Rarri, and vinyl-loving disco, boogie, house and soul fiends – The Social Service. Closing the stage, the creative collective showcasing and celebrating South Asian artistry, Daytimers, will present a dynamic, energetic two-hour takeover.
In August – expect a jazz, soul and funk soaked set from DJ Joe Coltan, by way of Nice and Puerto Escondido, Salah Rezzak, will take guests on a journey blending soulful Detroit house with zouk, Italo disco, and African grooves. Party and Latino collective La Rumba fuse percussion-led club sounds with traditional dance genres from around the world, and South African-British DJ Kusasa, known for percussive beats with infectious grooves. From Tokyo to London, and hot off the back of her viral Boiler Room set, riria will close the day with a bouncing set. There truly is something for everyone!
Book Green Island Festival at Hulme Community Garden Centre
