Electronic music festival No Art Open Air is returning to Manchester after four years

Mancunian festi fans, we come bearing even more good news. Just weeks after it was announced that Outwards festival would be joining the city’s already pretty meaty line up of summer music events, we’re here to let you know about a new new kid on the block. 

May is turning out to be Manny’s month of music as No Art Manchester Open Air will take place just south of the city on May 30.

The electronic music festival is curated by Dutch DJ duo ANOTR, who have built their rep around the world hosting open air shows in unexpected and unconventional locations – churches, galleries and historic sites included. 

To date, crowds in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Miami, Uruguay, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have flocked to the electronic music events. No Art’s signature is to use no stage and no screens, with the DJ booth set up at floor level. The result? An intimate and buzzy atmosphere there’s no excuse not to be dancing.

The Manchester edition will be No Art Open Air’s first in the city in four years and it promises to be the organisers’ biggest outside show beyond Holland. The venue for the one-day event is Bolesworth Castle, a Grade II listed country home which is almost 200 years old. 

No Air’s organisers say that the rural location ‘allows for a higher-quality listening experience across the site’. The estate’s 6,000 acres of land will be home to two separate stages offering an extended music programme, while there will be art installations spread throughout the grounds. 

As for the all-important tunes, expect sets from event founders ANOTR alongside techno titan Marco Carola, new wave house artist Max Dean and No Art regulars Toman, Benja and Silvie Loto. 

House and underground electronic music will take top billing on the second stage, which welcomes artists including Arapu, Chaos In The CBD, Priku, Us Two and NTS tastemaker Moxie.

No Art Manchester Open Air 2026 lineup

Here’s the full list of names confirmed for Bolesworth Castle on May 30 so far (listed A-Z).

• Alci
  
• ANOTR
  
• Arapu
  
• Benja
  
• Chaos In The CBD
  
• Genairo Nvilla 
  
• Marco Carola
  
• Max Dean
  
• Moxie
  
• Priku
  
• Seko
  
• Silvie Loto 
  
• Toman
  
• Us Two

Tickets are already on sale, so sign up on the No Art Open Air website here.

If the words ‘rural location’ filled you (and your provisional driver’s licence) with anxiety, have no fear. For transport, No Air has teamed up with Big Green Coach, offering direct services from Manchester, Stockport, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham and other UK cities. Plus, there’s on-site parking and dedicated shuttle buses from local train stations, the closest being Chester which is a 20 minute drive away.

No Art Manchester Open Air takes place from 12pm to 11pm on May 30 2026 at Bolesworth Castle, CH3 9JJ.

Want more Manchester music events this summer? Here’s how to get tickets to Parklife 2026.

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