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Are you ready for a very, very sweaty birthday party? This weekend Manchester’s excellent hardcore-rooted event Outbreak – one of Time Out’s favourite UK music festivals – is marking its 15th anniversary with a hell of a lineup.
Founded in Sheffield in 2011, Outbreak has grown into one of the country’s most unmissable fests. The 2026 Manchester edition (the London one will follow in August) has several stonking headliners in The Front Bottoms, Alexisonfire and Basement. But, as always for Outbreak, the rest of the lineup is just as huge, with the likes of Converge, Touché Amore, Lip Critic, Fiddlehead, Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies and many, many more.
Heading to the BEC for Outbreak this weekend? Here’s what you need to know about the event, from the set times and full lineup to remaining ticket availability.
SKIP TO:
⏱️ Set times
🎟️ Tickets
🎒 Bag policy and banned items
⛅️ Weather forecast
🎤 Knocked Loose aftershow
👟 Outbreak Run Club
Outbreak 2026 dates and location
Manchester’s 2026 Outbreak will take place on June 26-28 at Bowlers Exhibition Centre (BEC Arena), as it has done on four occasions since 2021. The address is Longbridge Road, M17 1SN.
The nearest tram stop is Parkway and there’s no parking at the arena (though there’s a park-and-ride at Trafford Park).
Gates
Here are gate timings on each day:
- Friday June 26 – 4pm
- Saturday June 27 – 11am
- Sunday June 28 – 11am
You can leave and re-enter all day until 8pm.
Headliners
The three official headliners are:
- Friday June 26 – The Front Bottoms
- Saturday June 27 – Alexisonfire
- Sunday June 28 – Basement
Outbreak 2026 set times
Here’s the full lineup, split by day:
Friday, June 26
Main Stage
- Pool Kids – 5pm-5.30pm
- Free Throw – 5.50pm-6.20pm
- Tigers Jaw – 6.40pm-7.10pm
- Balance and Composure – 7.30pm-8.10pm
- Joyce Manor – 8.30pm-9.20pm
- The Front Bottoms – 9.50pm-10.50pm
Indoor Stage
- Kissing on Camera – 6.20pm-6.40pm
- Tooth – 7.10pm-7.30pm
- Love Rarely – 8.10pm-8.30pm
- Algernon Cadwallader – 9.20pm-9.50pm
Saturday, June 27
Main Stage
- East Exchange – 1pm-1.30pm
- Reclus.É – 2pm-2.30pm
- TBC – 3pm-3.40pm
- Touché Amoré – 4.10pm-5.10pm
- High Vis – 5.40pm-6.20pm
- Pup – 6.50pm-7.30pm
- Loathe – 8pm-8.50pm
- Alexisonfire – 9.40pm-11pm
Indoor Stage
- Truck Violence – 1.30pm-2pm
- Bodyweb – 2.30pm-3pm
- Thistle. – 3.30pm-4pm
- Lip Critic – 4.30pm-5pm
- Greet Death – 5.30pm-6pm
- I Promised The World – 6.30pm-7pm
- Higher Power – 7.30pm-8pm
- The Armed – 8.50pm-9.30pm
- Quicksand – 10pm-10.40pm
- Converge – 11.10pm-midnight
Third Stage
- Turn of Phrase – 12.30pm-1pm
- Blanket – 1.30pm-2pm
- Still in Love – 2.30pm-3pm
- Love is Noise – 3.30pm-4pm
- Sunbrella – 4.30pm-5pm
- Upchuck – 5.30pm-6pm
- Tummyache – 6.30pm-7pm
- Knives – 7.40pm-8.10pm
- Shady Nasty – 8.40pm-9.10pm
Sunday, June 28
Main Stage
- Glare – 12.30pm-1pm
- Ecca Vandal – 1.20pm-1.50pm
- Nothing – 2.20pm-3pm
- Fiddlehead – 3.30pm-4.10pm
- La Dispute – 4.40pm-5.20pm
- Snail Mail – 5.50pm-6.30pm
- Trapped Under Ice – 7.20pm-8pm
- Basement – 9pm-10pm
Indoor Stage
- Crowquill – 12pm-12.30pm
- Gridiron – 1pm-1.30pm
- Dynamite – 2pm-2.30pm
- End It – 3pm-3.30pm
- Haywire – 4.10pm-4.40pm
- Trash Talk – 5pm-5.40pm
- Hatebreed – 6.10pm-7pm
- Suicidal Tendencies – 8pm-8.50pm
Third Stage
- Initiate – 1.30pm-2pm
- Ingrown – 2.30pm-3pm
- Big Problem – 3.20pm-3.40pm
- Death Lens – 4pm-4.30pm
- Glixen – 5pm-5.30pm
- Midrift – 6pm-6.30pm
- February – 7pm-7.30pm
- Glitterer – 8pm-8.40pm
Timings are subject to change – download the official Outbreak app for updates.
Last-minute Outbreak festival 2026 tickets
The festival is officially sold out. Some Friday and Sunday day tickets are still available on See Tickets here.
There are also some resale options on sites like Viagogo and Stubhub, though, as always, be extra careful when purchasing from second-hand sellers.
Knocked Loose aftershow at the Albert Hall
Metalcore titans Knocked Loose, who played Outbreak Manchester in 2022 and 2025, will headline the official festival aftershow at the Albert Hall (with support from Lip Critic).
The show is on Friday night but technically at 12.30am on Saturday morning. It’s sold out but you can join a waiting list on SeeTickets here.
Outbreak Run Club
On Saturday morning Outbreak is hosting a ‘relaxed’ and ‘social’ 5 kilometre run, starting at 8am at Trafford Park’s Holiday Inn. This is ticketed – costing £5 – and you can join the waiting list here.
Props to anyone who’s doing the Knocked Loose aftershow and the Run Club, that’s all we’re saying.
England v Panama World Cup Match
Worried about missing England’s final group stage game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Worry not. England v Panama will be shown on the big screen at Outbreak, showing on the Third Stage from 10pm til midnight.
Banned items
The following items are prohibited at the BEC.
- Knives and weapons
- Drugs and legal highs
- Aerosols, sprays and pressurised containers
- Alcohol and liquids
- Dogs and pets
- Perfumes and aftershave
- Flares and fireworks
- Laser pens and pointers
- Audio equipment and ‘noise making devices’
- Professional cameras and photography equipment
- Rollerblades, hoverboards, scooters, bicycles, skateboards
- Drones
- High-visibility vests and coats
- Large bags and suitcases
- Selfie-sticks
However, you are allowed an empty, refillable plastic water bottle. Shop-bought sealed and packaged food is allowed, as are suncream (bottles smaller than 200ml), vape liquid and eye drops.
Weather forecast
I mean, the pit is hot at the best of times. But when it’s toasty outside too? Make sure to stay hydrated, and make the most of being allowed an empty refillable plastic water bottle. Outbreak will have free tap water at every bar, as well as extra taps at each stage.
Here’s the forecast, day-by-day:
- Friday June 26 – highs of 32C, lows of 21C. Watch out for thundery showers all day
- Saturday June 27 – highs of 29C and lows of 21C, drizzle from 4pm onwards
- Sunday June 28 – highs of 23C and lows of 16C, chance of rain all day
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