About The City Brief Blackburn
Your Personal Newsletter For All Local Events in Blackburn
In Blackburn, The City Brief helps people stay informed about what’s happening across the city each week. From community gatherings to seasonal celebrations, we cover events in neighbourhoods like The Cathedral Quarter and Witton, where local life unfolds through regular markets, walks, and civic activities. These areas reflect different rhythms of town living, The Cathedral Quarter with its blend of heritage and modern activity near Blackburn Station; Witton as a place known for quiet paths and strong community spirit. Events are often anchored around landmarks such as Blackburn Cathedral Church of St Mary’s, a focal point in the city’s urban core, and adjacent to Queen Victoria’s Statue, which stands at the heart of Corporation Park where seasonal tributes like the Armistice Parade take place each November.
The festival season brings colour and participation across spaces including Pleisington Park Cemetery and Darwen Tower, with installations such as illuminated sculptures marking heritage moments. In summer months, events connect residents through initiatives like Paint the Town Orange, which turns public art into a community-wide effort to raise funds for youth services. At other times of year, Blackburn Heritage Festival invites locals to explore guided walks highlighting architectural details across Mellor and Darwen Street, areas with enduring links to independent businesses in the town’s heritage corridor.
For those based further out, Rivington serves as a starting point for walking routes including the 24-mile stretch that passes through Turton and Entwistle Reservoir, a scenic area known for natural beauty but with challenges in accessibility during winter months due to towpath conditions. We aim not to overwhelm with choice but to help people discover familiar rhythms in their own backyards.
What we Cover
Each week The City Brief highlights events happening across Blackburn – live music, theatre, food, family activities, markets and more.
Have a look at what's happening this week and this coming weekend.
About The City Brief
The City Brief is a global network of local newsletters. We succeed in sending the best of local information to local people. To learn more, visit our main website.
About the editor
The City Brief Blackburn is edited by Dean Withey, founder of The City Brief. A former RAF pilot turned founder and investor, Dean has built and sold two technology companies, including ubisend, a conversational AI platform used by the NHS and BAE Systems, and has shipped more than thirty enterprise AI systems over twenty years in tech. He is based in Norwich, England.
Why this site exists, in Dean's words: "In an AI-powered world, you can no longer trust what you see and hear online. The future is local: trusting only what you can see for yourself. The City Brief is the trusted brief for what's happening in your city."
Listings are gathered from venue websites, official box offices and event platforms, then checked and curated before publishing. AI tools assist with drafting; every published page follows our editorial policy.
Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.