Love in the Market returns to celebrate creativity in Ashton

Ashton Market Hall is set to burst into colour, creativity and community spirit once again as Love in the Market returns on Saturday 14 February 2026.

Returning after a spectacular reception in 2025, Tameside College’s free one-day cultural event, Love in the Market, will bring live music, puppetry, performance and free family activities.

Running 10:30am until 3:30pm, the event will transform the historic market hall into a vibrant celebration of local talent, with hands‑on creativity and live performances.

The event has been created and delivered by creative industry students from Tameside College, taking part in Tameside New Creatives, a professional development programme led by Curated Place. Working with professional artists and mentors, the students have programmed the event from start to finish, transforming the historic market hall into a lively space for culture, creativity and community.

Set against the everyday buzz of the market, Love in the Market will sit alongside traders, food and drink, bringing Ashton Market Hall to life through live music, hands-on craft and storytelling from local talent.

Across the day, audiences will be entertained by exciting bands playing classics and new material, family theatre & puppetry and hands-on creative workshops all for free.

Event highlights include:

• Live music from Good Habits the indie-folk trio that BBC 6 Music calls “21st-century musicianship at its best” (Tom Robinson). With international acclaim, they’ve played Glastonbury, WOMAD, Cambridge Folk Festival, Green Man and Kendal Calling. Having toured Europe and the UK, their album ‘Quarter-Life’ hit the UK Top 40 Folk Charts and now they’re coming to Ashton Market to support new talent in Tameside.
   
• Accompanying them will be the hit band from last year’s event VIP playing radio hits. This international party band is made up of a collection of the highest quality professional session musicians and vocalists who specialise in performing choice party tracks from the wide-ranging genres of Funk; Soul; Motown; Rock; Indie; Pop and Disco.
   
• Theatre and puppetry with From the River’s Mouth, a 20-minute family-friendly puppetry performance by The League of Curiosity, suitable for children aged five to ten. Combining physical clowning, traditional storytelling, and puppetry will craft a wonderfully charming and funny performance.
   
• Creative workshops will include Valentine’s card making, paper flower making and loved-up decorations, alongside the opportunity to create your own screen-printed tote bag, will be led by local artists and illustrators – all for free.

Love in the Market marks the culmination of several months of learning and collaboration through Tameside New Creatives, a programme supported by Tameside Council, the UK government through the Flexible Local Authority Grant (FLAG). The programme is designed to support young people from underserved communities to access creative careers, gain real-world experience and contribute meaningfully to cultural life in Tameside.

By placing students at the heart of the process, the event demonstrates how investing in young creative producers can bring fresh energy to local places while building sustainable pathways into the creative industries.

A particpating Tameside College student said: “Being part of Love in the Market has given us real experience of what working in the creative industries is really like. We’ve been involved in everything from marketing and budgeting to programming and working with professional artists. It’s helped us build confidence, understand the financial realities of creative work and learn how to develop ideas for a public audience. Bringing something we’ve created to life in our own town is incredibly rewarding and a great boost in starting a creative career”

Councillor Leanne Feeley, Tameside Council, executive member for lifelong learning and culture said: “Love in the Market will really showcase the incredible talent and imagination of our young people. The students bring fresh energy into Ashton Market Hall with activities for all ages, and I’d encourage everyone to come along, join in and enjoy a fantastic day of creativity and community.”

Andy Brydon, Director, Curated Place added: “Thanks to the trust and support of Tameside Council, Tameside College, Love in the Market is bringing something genuinely new to Ashton. The students have worked with real budgets, professional artists and experienced mentors to turn their ideas into reality. They have taken ownership of the creative voice of their town and shown what can happen when young people are given agency, support and belief.”

Find out more at www.intameside.co.uk