Town centres to blossom with Spring Family Festival

A spectacular Spring Family Festival is coming to Tameside this Easter holiday to give residents and visitors a taste of what’s to come in Ashton and Stalybridge town centres.

Ashton Market Square is nearly ready to open its doors following a £10.8M transformation programme, funded by UK Government Levelling Up money, while the newly refurbished Stalybridge Victoria Market Hall is poised to build on its already blossoming programme of events and activities.

To give a taste of what these new spaces will look like and be used for, Tameside Council is holding a fabulous four-day family festival from 8 to 11 April 2026.

The festival will provide families, residents and visitors with an exciting programme of free, fun and cultural activities in the second week of the school Easter holidays while also helping to increase footfall in the town centres and support local businesses.

The Spring Family Festival will begin on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 April with a two day Ashton Spring Preview in Ashton Market Square, which will include free vintage fairground rides, carnival, theatre, dance and music performances, free face painting, balloon modelling and arts and crafts, and street food stalls. Parts of the market square are still undergoing work, however a central part of the square in front of Ashton Library will be open for the event

On day three, Friday 10 April, the Spring Family Festival will move to Stalybridge for the first Street Fest of the year. This ever popular event is back again for 2026 on the second Friday of every month with an array of delicious food and drink stalls and family entertainment. 

There will also be an artisan market in Stalybridge Victoria Market Hall to tie in with Street Fest to further enhance the offer for visitors and this will continue at every Street Fest this year. Further events planned for Stalybridge Victoria Market Hall this coming year include music concerts, a circus weekend, school holiday take-over weeks, specialist markets and a day time disco event – more details of these events will be shared soon.

Day four of the Spring Family Festival will be back in Ashton Market Square for a Super Saturday taster event on 11 April. This foodie family event will give a food and drink themed preview of the Super Saturday events planned for Ashton once the market square is fully back open in the summer. The taster will include Street food and drink stalls with free entertainment to appeal to visitors, families and shoppers alike.

Tameside Council Executive Leader Cllr Eleanor Wills said: “The Spring Family Festival is taking  place in the school Easter holidays and will be a wonderful opportunity for families, residents and visitors of all ages to take part in free fun activities and watch spectacular performances. It will be a celebration of spring, place and community and is a chance to showcase the fantastic investment and work that’s going into transforming Ashton and Stalybridge town centres.

“This is just a taste of things to come and only the start of our transformational plans for all of our town centres to help them meet the needs of residents, visitors and businesses and move with current shopping, leisure and cultural trends. We’re working hard to attract further investment and funding for all of our towns so we can preserve, celebrate and develop the individual character and heritage of each of our towns while making them forward looking and places we can all be proud to call home.

“Thank you to everyone – businesses, shoppers and visitors alike - for their patience while Ashton Market Square has undergone redevelopment. The wait will be worth it but, in the meantime, come along and enjoy these events and support our towns and local businesses.”

There’s free parking for up to two hours in all Tameside Council run car parks before 6pm Monday to Saturday, making it even easier for people to enjoy a free outing at the events.