Across the last fifteen years, Outbreak Fest has grown from a cult gathering into a cornerstone of the UK’s alternative music calendar, built around a genre-fluid lineup, a fiercely loyal community, and a reputation for pushing boundaries across hardcore, emo, punk and beyond.
As the festival heads into its 15th anniversary year, it has now revealed further details of its 2026 Manchester edition at the B.E.C., announcing a dedicated Friday event alongside new additions across the rest of the weekend, and full day splits finally revelaed
Headlining the newly announced Friday night are the iconic The Front Bottoms, who are performing Talon of the Hawk in full, joined by Balance & Composure (performing select tracks from their Separation and The Things We Think We’re Missing records), Tigers Jaw, Free Throw and Pool Kids.
The Friday show serves as a special opening chapter to the weekend, with tickets sold separately to the weekend event, available at http://outbreak-fest.co.uk, alongside very limited (95% sold!) weekend tickets.
Alongside the Friday announcement, Outbreak Fest has also confirmed a raft of new names joining the wider lineup across Saturday and Sunday.
The Saturday sees NY post-hardcore icons Quicksand make their Outbreak Fest debut, compounding over 35 years in the game, with the likes of Death Lens, Sunbrella, Tummyache, Greet Death, Love is Noise, Blanket and Recluse.E also join an already stacked Saturday billing.
Whereas Sunday sees newly added artists include the magical Snail Mail, and the heavy shoegaze of Nothing, who bolster an already expansive bill that features Alexisonfire, Basement, Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies, Converge, Trapped Under Ice and more.
With the majority of the lineup now revealed, Outbreak Fest 2026 continues to reflect the festival’s long-standing approach: celebrating alternative music in all its forms while creating a space rooted as much in community as it is in sound. Following its biggest edition yet in 2025, the upcoming anniversary year is shaping up as a defining moment in the festival’s story.
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Header image credit: Outbreak Fest on Facebook
