Wigan Borough Dance Festival 2026 Set For This Month
Wigan Borough Dance Festival 2026 will present a diverse lineup of performances and workshops at The Edge Arena
Wigan Borough Dance Festival has announced its 2026 line-up, bringing together schools, youth groups, local dance schools and arts organisations from across the borough to celebrate dance. The event will run Tuesday 24th – Saturday 28th March 2026.
Taking place annually each March, the festival is one of the biggest celebrations of dance for children and young people, granting them the opportunity to perform on a professional stage. Participants range from primary school pupils performing for the first time, to experienced youth dance groups, college students and even professional dancers, creating a diverse range of performance styles. This year, the festival will bring together 1,910 young people, 95 schools and groups and over 60 artists.
At its heart, the Wigan Borough Dance Festival is about inclusion. The event is proudly non-competitive, focusing instead on encouragement, creativity and pride in performance. By removing the pressure of competition, the festival allows participants to focus on collaboration, self-expression and celebrating each other's achievements.
The theme for this year's festival has been unveiled as Together We Dance, reflecting how Wigan Borough Dance Festival brings people together across schools, communities and cultures. As part of this theme, the festival will feature a spectacular carnival-inspired finale, in which the hundreds of participating young people will perform together. A key focus for Wigan Borough Dance Festival 2026 is also encouraging more boys and young men to engage with dance, challenging stereotypes and making dance more inclusive.
2026 marks the 9th year of the festival, taking place at The Edge Arena in Wigan. Led by Spirix Collective, the festival is committed to helping their young participants build confidence and develop choreography skills through workshops, rehearsals and creative support. Wigan Borough Dance Festival grants these young people a unique opportunity to dance alongside professionals, and in turn raising aspirations and inspiring future careers in dance.
Highlights of the programme include the Wigan Schools Platforms, running Tuesday to Thursday for primary and secondary schools across the area, and featuring a performance from Collide, the male-identifying company from Northern School of Contemporary Dance. On Friday, the festival will host the Greater Manchester Schools Platform, welcoming young dancers from across Greater Manchester and featuring performances from professional and emerging artists, including Company Chameleon, Edge Hill University, and Spirix Creatives. The evening will then be dedicated to showcasing the incredible work happening within local community dance groups in the Grassroots Community Dance Celebration, with performances from WYZ, More Than Words, Everything Human Rights, and Spirix Collective. The festival will close with a fantastic Dance Showcase of all schools and a show-stopping carnival-inspired finale featuring hundreds of dancers.
Lead Producer and Founding Director of Spirix Collective Amy Hodgson comments, "The Wigan Borough Dance Festival has become a key part of Wigan's cultural calendar and a real entitlement for the children and young people of Wigan. Each year, many young people look forward to their opportunity to be part of the festival, to step onto a professional stage, share their creativity and feel proud of what they have achieved together. I am incredibly proud of the Spirix team for achieving what often feels impossible every year. An event of this scale and size is delivered by a small team of dedicated and passionate artists and producers who work tirelessly to make sure every young person has their moment on stage."
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