Thank you all you lovely people for supporting this year’s Wigan Digger’s Festival, it was a great day, many thanks to all the volunteers who spared some of their time to help out on the day, you are all greatly appreciated.
Below is the next event we are putting on, in partnership with the Reformers of Peterloo,
Tickets are now on sale for the ‘Peterloo in Rock Musical‘ Date: Saturday15th November 2025 Time: 8pm until 11pm (Doors 7.30pm) Place: Sunshine House Community Hub Wigan WN1 3SA We hope to see you there, thanks.
Gerrard Winstanley Gardens, Wigan Town Centre Saturday, 13th September 2025 11am until 930pm – Free Entry!
10.30am – Wigan True Levellers Samba Band will parade up Standishgate, up to the Moon on the Water
11.00am – Samba Band will make their way up the Wiend with the Diggers re-enactment group, on to believe Square to entertain the crowd.
11.15am – Diggers re-enactment
11.30am – Bolton Clarion Choir will sing a few songs commemorating Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers movement
11.50am – Official festival opening
12.00 Noon – First band on stage
Join us for the Wigan Diggers Festival – a day of live music, entertainment, poetry, stalls, speakers, and community spirit – all in celebration of the ideas and life of Gerrard Winstanley, Wigan’s own 17th-century Digger and social reformer.
What to Expect: * Brilliant live bands & performers * Inspiring guest speakers & history talks at Wigan Museum * Diggers Bar, Diggers Merchandise, Food & drink stalls * Community & campaign stalls * Family-friendly activities & entertainment
Whether you’re passionate about social justice, a music lover, or just looking for a great day out, Wigan Diggers Festival 2025 is the place to be.
Spread the word! Invite your mates and let’s make it a day to remember!
We are pleased to announce this year’s festival headliners, ‘the Wakes’, who will top a great line-up of bands on the 7th September 2024. Check them out on the link below
The Wakes (headliners) Mutant Proof Run Out The Guns Amber List Golden Spade Award Presentation Green Man Rising Wigan True Levellers Samba Band (Main Square) Joe Solo The Quaintest Show on Earth Vision Thing
Song and Story Stage
Cobalt Tales Rooster Rebellion Glass Child Thomas Raven Tom George Janine Booth James J Turner Brother Bastion
We look forward to seeing you there, please support the festival by purchasing drinks from our bar on site, and checking out our festival t-shirts and other merch from our merch stall, near the festival HQ. As always, the festival is run by volunteers and all the profits from the festival go back into funding next year’s festival, none of the committee members who run it get paid in any way. We want to thank anyone who has already said they can spare a few hours on the day, to volunteer in one of the many roles available, a volunteer form will be added on our Facebook pages, and one on this website very soon, keep your eye out for it.
Have a great 2024 Wigan Diggers’ Festival, Wigan Diggers’ Committee.
This year’s festival is on the Saturday the 7th September 2024, full details of bands and will be available shortly, stall applications will be accepted using the link in the menu, and it’s also available on our Facebook pages. To fill the online form in, you must be logged in to your Google account or create one, and then log in and use the link provided in the menu on the left
Wigan Diggers are looking for interested individuals, groups, and organisations to help us to develop a community garden in the spirit of Gerrard Winstanley, and to provide an area of our town that is a common treasury for all!
The Diggers have been granted the use of an area of land next to Sunshine House in Scholes, which is approximately 150 feet long by 25 feet wide, and is currently being cleared in order to allow its use as a community garden. Additionally, we have been gifted a small, but not inconsiderable amount of money to kick-start the project.
The plan is to establish a garden that allows young people to engage in gardening with a purpose, and for the common benefit.
The area provided does offer the opportunity to devote some area to growing produce, to grow decorative plants, and possibly an area for rest and contemplation. However, at this stage, we have no firm plans, and therefore we are inviting anyone with an interest in promoting collective gardening among young people, to join us at a meeting at Sunshine House on Sunday April 7th at 1.30, with the meeting scheduled to last until 4pm. There will be a break for coffee and tea. Anyone with the wish to get involved and with ideas as to how they can contribute, or ideas as to how the project can develop will be made welcome, and their input welcomed and valued.
We hope to see YOU there (or a member of your organisation) – either just come along – or email WiganDiggers@gmail.com with the names of potential attendees and any ideas that you would like to put forward.
Please note that at this stage, we are looking for voluntary help.
Thank you, Wigan Diggers Committee.
Sunshine House is located on Wellington Street (off Vauxhall Road) in Scholes, WN1 3SA, just outside the Town Centre. There is ample free parking next to Sunshine House or on the road outside.
Fundraising Appeal for Wigan Diggers Festival, please donate if you can…
Wigan Diggers’ Festival is run and organised by a small group of volunteers, and is a totally free event, no one involved in creating the festival, receives any financial gain or payment of any kind. Any money taken by the bar, merch stall or donations on the day, go directly into putting on next year’s festival. Due to a few complications over the last few years, the festival itself, lost some of its income, which has hit our funding negatively. Also, as the festival itself is growing and becoming more popular, we have to adhere to certain rules and regulations, and this is costing us more money, to put the event on.
In 2022 the festival was cancelled at the last minute, due to the council wanting to use Believe Square to read the proclamation of the queen’s death. At the time, quite a few people and organisations, offered to make a donation to help us with our losses, we didn’t accept these or ask for any donations ourselves, as we know times are hard for everyone, and we were able to put this year’s festival on without any help. Unfortunately, costs are rising all the time, and it’s getting harder for us to fund the festival, just from our income from the bar, and merch stall. We have decided to put out an appeal, to try and raise some funds, to help us fund next year’s festival, if you or your organisation would like to support the festival itself, by making a donation, no matter how small, the Wigan Diggers’ Festival committee, would greatly appreciate any help you can give us, and all funds raised will help us continue to run our annual free festival.
Please donate by bank transfer or cheque, details below,
Bank Transfer: Wigan Diggers Festival Sort Code: 770213 Account Number: 27530168
Cheques made payable to, Wigan Diggers Festival 133 Haigh Road Aspull Wigan. WN2 1RP
UPDATE
If you would like a thank-you letter, or acknowledgement of your donation, don’t forget to include your name and address with your donation, so we can send one out to you, and a big thank you, goes outto those people who have tried to help us put next year’s festival onso far.
Wigan Diggers’ Festival Committee are pleased to announce this year’s festival line-up. Sadly ‘The Wakes’ have had to pull out as headliner’s, due to a previous commitment to another event. Regrettably this can’t be helped due to the festival being cancelled last year, and the band having already committed to the other event. Hopefully we will have them back to play for us at some point.
This year’s headliners are the fantastic ‘Headsticks’, who have confirmed they will be headlining this year’s festival, see below for the full up to date festival band line-up…
Main Stage
Headsticks McHale’s Permanent Brew Jess Silk Bard Company Presentations/Shaun Fallows (front of main stage) Commoners Choir More Than Words Carol Hodge Band Fine Lines TicNoToc
Song and Story Stage
Steam Town John D Revelator Vision Thing Stephen Smith HazJak Poets (George Melling, Jimmy Andrex and Carla Mellor) Cobalt Tales Martin Purdey (Harp and Monkey)
Wigan Diggers' Festival 