A ‘We Saved The Ferret’ celebration is taking place this Bank Holiday weekend.

The iconic music venue has pulled together the event in the two weeks since it was confirmed The Ferret had been placed into permanent protected status.

Read more: ‘Monumental moment’ for iconic Preston music venue The Ferret as future secured

All the artists performing across the four-day event contributed to the Save The Ferret campaign, which launched after the building in Fylde Road was put up for sale in 2022.

Featuring the likes of Nigel Clark (Dodgy), Tony Wright (Terrorvision), Wyres, Blues Harvest, Ivan Campo, Ahmed and The Romans and All Hail Hyena, the We Saved The Ferret Weekender runs until Sunday 26 May.

The first night took place yesterday (Thursday 23 May). There was a real buzz about the place as people came together to celebrate the venue signing a cultural lease with Music Venue Properties (MVP). The agreement guarantees that – as long as The Ferret operates as a space for grassroots live music for the local community – it can enjoy the use of the building.

Read more: ‘The Ferret is just one of those places – you get a real buzz’

Fittingly, the first performance of the night came from local singer-songwriter Seamus McLoughlin, whose song This Place Matters became an anthem for The Ferret during the challenging last two years.

“I was really happy to open the The Ferret weekender,” said Seamus. “Helping to celebrate the saving of this iconic local venue, which is very close to my heart.

“In a time that many communities are losing their own places of musical and cultural importance, it’s a beam of light in the dark that this will venue continue to act as a hub for live music and art of all kinds, for all kinds for a long time to come. This place matters.”

Read more: Inside tale of the Preston pub saved from demolition to become an oasis of good food and drink

Director and Programme Manager, Matt Fawbert, who spearheaded the campaign to save The Ferret, looked like a happy and relieved man, and admitted the news had finally started to sink in.

Matt said: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to throw this four-day celebration, and bring in such a great lineup of bands and DJs at short notice. Every artist on the lineup contributed to our Save The Ferret campaign last year, so it’s a real salute to their efforts as well.

“We were blown away by everyone’s generosity and the strength of feeling around the campaign. This venue means so much to so many people, it’s the heartbeat of Preston’s live music scene, and we’re just completely over the moon that the building is now in safe hands.

“We’ve got loads of plans for the future, but for this weekend at least it’s just about celebrating the win.”

There are still a handful of tickets available for each day, available from Skiddle or on the door while stocks last.

Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines

This story was made possible by support from you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, send details to contactus@blogpreston.co.uk.