Legendary space rock pioneers Hawkwind will headline the closing weekend of The Bay Fringe Festival with a special two-day event in Morecambe on August 8-9, 2026. The weekend includes a full concert at the historic Morecambe Winter Gardens on the Saturday, followed by an official aftershow party and a Sunday packed with music and events.
The Sunday celebration, kicking off from midday, will feature sets from Hawkwind Friends and Relations’ bands, family-friendly activities, and an exclusive Q&A with the Hawkwind team. The weekend event will conclude with a special premiere film screening of a live Hawkwind concert, which will wrap up the festival’s TV and film strand.
Tickets for the Hawkwind Friends and Relations weekend are priced at £70 plus booking fee. This includes entry to the main concert, the after-party, and the Sunday film premiere. Fans can secure their tickets via Skiddle.
This upcoming August show follows the band’s first appearance at the iconic Winter Gardens back in 2022. That initial gig is heavily credited with helping secure the building’s future as a major music venue for the North, proving the venue’s viability to host major legacy acts.
Vanessa Toulmin of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust said: “Hosting Hawkwind four years ago gave our funders and the Trust faith that we could realise our dream to be a music venue for the North. We are delighted and proud that the Hawkwind family is part of our journey as we move even closer to a fully realised 1600 capacity.”
The 10th edition of The Bay Fringe Festival will take place across Morecambe and Carnforth for two weeks, starting on July 20, 2026. The programme marks its biggest and most ambitious year to date, encompassing cabaret, clowning, comedy, theatre, and spoken word. Applications for shows to be included in the festival line-up remain open until April 1, 2026.
The festival’s wider TV and film strand will also feature a Young Ones retrospective with Alexei Sayle and Nigel Planer, alongside a screening of The Shining followed by a Q&A with producer Jan Harlan. Additionally, it will include an animated screening of The Good Soldier Schweik, revoiced by the town’s West End Players.
The festival remains committed to grassroots arts, opening with a portrait photographic exhibition of comedians and poets, alongside the famous comedy crawl around the Morecambe promenade. There will also be 10 community-created shows developed in local workshops over the past year and a new micro-budget film competition.
Festival founder Matt Panesh commented: “I’m delighted to welcome one of the greatest counter culture bands to Morecambe as part of the festival. We’re all about celebrating the DIY ethos, and presenting art, music and film that shares that spirit as a call to arms to empower the people of Morecambe to get creative.”
Image credits: Garry Cook
In this article: Morecambe Winter Gardens, Hawkwind
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