Tickets go on sale today (17 August) for the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its first-ever visit to Salford.
The festival is bringing some of the UK’s most celebrated poets, performers and broadcasters to the home of the BBC in the North.
Taking place from 24 to 27 September 2026 across Salford and MediaCity, the UK’s biggest poetry and performance festival forms part of Salford’s centenary celebrations, with many events across the weekend free to book.
Over the past decade Contains Strong Language has become one of the UK’s leading cultural festivals, championing poetry, spoken word and performance while connecting audiences with stories that challenge, inspire and entertain.
This anniversary year brings together a line-up including John Cooper Clarke, Jackie Kay, Joelle Taylor, Len Pennie, Jason Allen-Paisant, Liz Berry, Owen Sheers, Alice Oswald, Testament, Andrew McMillan and Toria Garbutt, alongside rising talent from Manchester, Salford and across the UK.
Festival highlights include live recordings of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, Loose Ends, Start the Week, poetry programme The Verb and a presentation of Simon Armitage’s adaptation of Gilgamesh; a special conversation between Simon Armitage and John Cooper Clarke; a curtain raising collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Radio 3’s Words and Music; performances from internationally renowned spoken word artists and an outreach programme.
As the home of BBC North, Greater Manchester has become a hub for some of the UK’s most ambitious broadcasting, journalism and creative production. The festival takes place as the BBC marks 15 years in Salford, celebrating the move that helped transform MediaCity into one of the UK’s most significant creative hubs.
The festival will have a strong local focus, bringing Manchester and Salford artists together with leading names from across the UK and beyond. Activities include BBC Radio Club projects in schools, collaborations with Salford Youth Zone, animations created by Manchester Metropolitan University students and workshops designed to inspire the next generation of writers and performers.
Contains Strong Language director Sue Roberts said: “As Contains Strong Language celebrates its tenth birthday, bringing the festival to Salford during the city’s landmark centenary year is a privilege. Over the past decade, the festival has shown that poetry and spoken word have a unique power to connect people, spark conversations and help us make sense of an ever-changing world.
“We’re proud to continue our partnership with the National Poetry Centre and this year’s festival brings together an extraordinary group of poets from across the UK and around the globe, alongside a rich programme of free events designed to inspire audiences of all ages.
“Whether you are a lifelong poetry lover or discovering spoken word for the first time, there is something here for everyone.”
Roberts’ colleague, BBC head of the North of England Heidi Dawson, added: “Bringing the UK’s biggest poetry and performance festival to the North West is a huge milestone for both Contains Strong Language and for the city of Salford.
“This year’s festival comes at a special moment as we celebrate 100 years of Salford, 15 years of the BBC in Salford and 10 years of Contains Strong Language. It’s a chance to showcase exciting new voices, connect with audiences across the region and celebrate the creativity that continues to thrive here.
“Contains Strong Language will now be part of that story, recognising the remarkable legacy that’s been built in Salford and helping inspire the next generation of creative talent.”
Cooper Clarke, whose poetry soared past a billion listens on Spotify in 2023, was keen to highlight the appropriateness of the festival’s setting this year: “Contains Strong Language… of course it does. It’s in Salford, what do you expect,” he pondered. “Strong language and the city of Salford are a universally recognised double act and this year – in the tradition of great Salfordian names such as Graham Nash, Albert Finney and Mark E Smith – Dr John Cooper Clarke will be in-house and face to face with our current Poet Laureate Mr Simon Armitage… am I worthy? We’ll find out on Saturday 26 September.”
Full event information is available on the Contains Strong Language website.
