The Met is turning 50!
Look out for an exciting weekend of celebrations at the Met plus the world premiere of a specially commissioned poem by Tony (Longfellow) Walsh
12 and 13 September 2025
This September The Met is marking a significant milestone when it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The historic venue has been bringing top quality arts and entertainment to the people of Bury for over five decades. Notably past historical highlights include: the infamous 1980 Joy Division gig which culminated in a riot at the venue; a hugely successful pantomime; Head for the Hills Festival; and well-known artists such as: Elbow, The Unthanks; Eliza Carthy; Shaun Ryder; Richard Hawley; Peter Kay; Show of Hands; Dr Feelgood; and The Stranglers.
Over the past half century The Met has acted as a springboard for the careers of many amazing bands, musicians and artists. Likewise it was the engine room and inspiration for the Manchester Folk Festival, which featured an array of world-class acts.
BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music presenter Mark Radcliffe:
“The Met is the perfect venue in many ways. Intimate, atmospheric, welcoming, a great team, an adventurous booking policy, a warm and appreciative crowd and a huge part of the town it serves. Long may it thrive”
BBC Radio Manchester presenter and musician Mike Sweeney:
“The Met will ALWAYS be one of my favourite venues ever. Beautiful in appearance, warm, friendly and with great staff front and backstage!”
To mark the celebrations The Met has commissioned our patron, poet and long-time fan of the venue, Tony Walsh. Tony will write a new poem based on testimonies from The Met’s staff and audiences. Furthermore the poem will be performed by Tony at a preview ahead of the celebration weekend and will be recorded and shared to mark this special occasion.
The anniversary festivities take place on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th September when a weekend of exciting activity is planned, with most events free.
The programme includes:
New Poem Commission
To help us celebrate this special occasion, The Met’s patron and world-renowned poet Tony Walsh will perform a specially commissioned poem for the occasion. The poem celebrates the history of The Met and everything that makes local arts centres so important to their communities. The performance will be made available digitally for all.
Poet Tony Walsh sums up his relationship and his approach when writing the poem:
“As a long-term local customer, a proud Patron and a touring artist myself I was delighted when The Met asked to commission a poem from me. Their 50th anniversary is a major achievement and a great opportunity to celebrate the past, present and future of an absolutely vital asset to our area and our diverse communities. It truly is one of the very best venues of its kind in the UK and we’re very lucky to have it on our doorstep.
“Experience has taught me that arts education and venues like this are not just “nice to have”. For many people they are absolutely life changing, or lifesaving even, and I’ve tried to convey all the joy and fun and drama and community of a trip to The Met in my poem. I can’t wait for people to hear it. The Met is, of course, also a charity and hopefully the poem can help with future fundraising too. Huge congratulations to The Met on 50 incredible years! And here’s to 50 more!”
New Art Commission
The Met has commissioned Two Crows Arts Studio to create a special artwork to celebrate the anniversary. This will be unveiled over the birthday weekend before going on display at The Met.
Launch of The Nook, The Met’s Bar and Kitchen
The popular downstairs bar and pop-up kitchen space has had a makeover and a rebrand, relaunching at the birthday weekend. The Nook is a great space to enjoy a drink, admire the artworks and relax.
‘The Met has been such an important cultural and social hub to the communities of Bury for the last 50 years. We’re delighted to celebrate this special milestone with audiences and supporters across Bury and beyond. From supporting and developing artists, delivering engaging workshops across the year and exciting projects such as Head for the Hills, we’re incredibly proud of everything The Met has achieved. We also have ambitious plans for the future and can’t wait to share that with you all over the months and years to come.’
Victoria Robinson – CEO, The Met
Other events include:
FRIDAY 12th SEPTEMBER
Throughout the day – FREE
The venue opens to schools for a day of careers advice and learning. Student groups will be invited to The Met for a dynamic programme designed to spark curiosity and open doors to creative futures.
Each visit will include a guided tour of the space, a hands-on workshop, followed by a Q&A session. The workshop will be led by our Engagement and Access Manager, exploring creative career pathways. While the Q&A will be with members of the team who are passionate about sharing their journeys and insights.
John Bramwell: Support (TBC): Ellen Beth Abdi: John Bramwell has been on a never-ending rolling adventure since his days with the cherished, Mercury Prize nominated Mancunian band, I Am Kloot. Followed by a DJ set from The Potter Brothers (Craig and Mark Potter – Elbow).
SATURDAY 13th SEPTEMBER
Heritage Tours – throughout the day – FREE: a behind the scenes tours of the historic building. Learn about the venue’s past, famous musicians who have graced the stages, and the evolution to what The Met is today.
Recording Studio Surgeries: an opportunity for aspiring musicians to explore The Met’s Edwin Street Recording Studio, meet the in-house engineer and chat about how to get their music recorded.
The Met’s Quiz– Hosted by The Big Tiny: a very special birthday quiz, with our close friends and producers of our yearly pantomime, The Big Tiny.
Liam Frost & Friends – Emerging Showcase: a one-off gig to celebrate The Met’s 50th birthday. The gig is curated by artist in residence and local Musician Liam Frost, including performances from Adam Hopper and the Wimps, The Black Mile, Charlotte Mary and Denver.
For more information on our birthday celebrations, please visit https://themet.org.uk/fifty
