Residents in Bootle, Merseyside, can look forward to more local performances this spring as the Salt & Tar Fringe expands into new community venues from May 22, 2026, to May 25, 2026. This four-day event will feature local comedy, wellness workshops and music to celebrate the town’s arts scene.
Because the permanent festival site is being redeveloped as part of the Strand regeneration, events will move to several temporary locations. The Liverpool Echo reports that the canalside pub Lock & Quay will host the relocated August 2026 Music Weekender, and Sefton Council has identified Lock & Quay as a key anchor venue for the Fringe’s pop-up programme around the town while building work continues.
The programme includes a local comedy collective called Bootle Stands Up, a community choir known as In Another Place, and the Bootle International Festival. Sefton Council leaders say moving the festival into different parts of the neighbourhood helps keep the excitement alive while the main Strand town‑centre building work continues.
This expansion follows a successful pilot year in 2025 that attracted around 11,600 visitors to Bootle. Reports from The Guide Liverpool show that the wider Strand building project aims to turn the 1960s shopping centre into a modern canalside destination for food, leisure and entertainment.
While the Fringe events take place in May, a larger Music Weekender is still planned for August 2026. Headliners announced for the summer programme include The Waterboys (announced for Friday 14 August 2026) and Nile Rodgers & CHIC (mid‑August dates announced; a second night was added due to demand).
