FAQs

Most bars and vendors across the festival are cashless.

There are some venues, such as The New Oxford, The Old Pint Pot and Porta, which also accept cash.

Note that unfortunately, due to licensing, it is not possible to take drinks between venues.

Sounds from the Other City is proud of standing for the ‘Other’ and always will stand against any form of ableism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia & racism. Any form of sexual harassment, physical violence or discrimination is unacceptable at our festival. This includes unwanted sexual comments or contact, verbal abuse and use of threatening or intimidating language. If you would like to know more about our policy please visit this page.

There will be festival photographers and film crews around the site recording the day’s events for us. We assume that by attending, all wristband holders are consenting to being included in any photographs and footage, however if you would prefer to be excluded just contact us on [email protected] and we will ensure we don’t use any identifiable images of you.

There will be searches and wand checks at the site entrance. No  large bags or rucksacks over A4 in size will be permitted on site. Please don’t bring in any glass, alcohol, drugs or anything that can be used as a weapon. There are no cloakroom facilities at the festival.

The Sounds from the Other City wristband exchange is located at the Maxwell Building, University of Salford, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT.  You’ll need to visit here first to exchange your ticket for a wristband that will gain you access to the individual venues, including afterparty venues. It opens at 2pm on the day of the festival, Sunday May 5th and closes at 8pm.

We want to welcome as many people as possible to the festival. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (25 or over). Please note some of our venues are licensed premises with individual rules that prohibit people under the age of 18 after certain hours so access may be restricted. If there are specific acts or parts of the programme you wish to see please email us on [email protected] and we will deal with your query specifically. 

We aren’t able to provide welfare provisions for animals at SFTOC (water bowls, poop bins etc) so we don’t encourage people to bring dogs, however there are open air areas of the site that are open to any four legged friends under the supervision and care of ticket holders. We expect the same level of behaviour as we would from our human guests though so any fighting, biting or pooping will result in you being asked to leave.

Entries to venues and stages are subject to capacity. If our security team advises that a venue is at full capacity they will employ a one-in one-out policy for your safety so please be patient. If there are specific acts you are particularly keen to catch, head to your venue of choice early.

No, there is only one ticket to SFTOC. We firmly believe in championing new artists and ideas and we want everyone to step into our melting pot of discovery as equals. Your wristband will grant entry to all daytime and afterparty venues, subject to capacity.

Yes you can. Please email [email protected] under the heading ‘personal assistant ticket’ with proof of your ticket purchase and eligibility.

Below are a few of the types of proof of eligibility we accept, but please do email us with your individual circumstances and we will do our very best to accommodate:

• Middle or Higher rate DLA for care and/or mobility
• Receipt of Enhanced Rate Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Or Registered Deaf or Blind

Children aged 13 do not need a ticket and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. It’s worth bringing some ID if they look older than 13.

Everyone aged 14 or over on Sunday May 4th 2025 (the day of the event ), must have bought a full ticket.

Anyone under the age of 18 wishing to attend the festival MUST be accompanied by a parent/guardian over the age of 25.

Please note that a lot of the venues at SFTOC are temporary or non-standard venue spaces and do not have baby changing facilities. We advise that all children wear ear defenders when inside venues with live music and djs.

Head to the Accessibility section of the website for full details on access to our festival venues.

Our getting here section  for 2025 will be available soon!

At the heart of SFTOC is the creative community who have helped it to continually evolve for two decades.

Our unique festival model means that the curation of the Sounds line-up remains in the hands of that community; each year we invite a selection of the region’s best promoters and selectors to book the artists that most excite them. We give them a stage and budget and the rest is up to them.

Head to our community curation page and find out more about how to get involved.

At the heart of SFTOC is the creative community who have helped it to continually evolve for two decades.

Our unique festival model means that the curation of the Sounds line-up remains in the hands of that community; each year we invite a selection of the region’s best promoters and selectors to book the artists that most excite them. We give them a stage and budget and the rest is up to them.

Check out this years selectors page to see who is involved and find out more about our community curation model here.