Based at Lowry, Quays Culture works in partnership to enrich the cultural life of Salford Quays and MediaCity.

We produce We Invented the Weekend, one of the UK's largest free festivals with 100,000+ visitors in 2026. It is a two-day event celebrating free time, established in 1843 by Salford Lyceum Director and activist Robert Lowes (also Sir Ian McKellen’s Great Grandfather) who campaigned for workers’ right to leisure time on Saturday afternoons.

Since 2015, we have produced the Lightwaves festival in winter, presenting light art from across the North of England and internationally. Our commissions are available for hire. We are now building on this legacy to reimagine an bolder, more ambitious programme on light, sound, water and darkness in 2027.