Free screenings of iconic music biopic 24 Hour Party People at Welsh cinemas

Nation.Cymru staff

Acclaimed Madchester music biopic 24 Hour Party People will screen for free at over 100 independent cinemas across the UK this month.

Named by The Guardian as one of the 100 best films of the 21st century, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE tells the story of Madchester through the eyes of Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan), the man who signed the Happy Mondays and Joy Division, who later became New Order.

Totally inspired by a Sex Pistols gig, Wilson and his friends set up Factory Records, proceeding to sign some of the most influential artists of their time. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE is a blackly comic tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous clubs in the world, The Haçienda.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and produced by Andrew Eaton, the film also stars Andy Serkis, John Simm, Paddy Considine, Ralf Little, Peter Kay, Rob Brydon, Simon Pegg, Lennie James, Shirley Henderson and Keith Allen. Set at the epicentre of Manchester’s music explosion from 1976 to 1992, cameos from music legends including The Happy Mondays’ Rowetta and Paul Ryder, The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, The Stone Roses’ Mani, the Inspiral Carpets’ Clint Boon, the Buzzcocks’ Howard Devoto, and Haçienda DJs Mike Pickering and Dave Haslam also bring the film to life.

Escapes is a nationwide free cinema initiative on a mission to bring cinema to all by hosting more than 100 free cinema screenings every month.
These free screenings give UK audiences a chance to see the film in cinemas before its theatrical re-release in the UK and Ireland on 9 October 2026 via Altitude.

Escapes is supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery Good Cause Funding. The initiative is designed to make cinema more accessible, celebrate independent cinemas and bring new audiences to local venues. Every month, Escapes gives away free cinema tickets in over 100 locations across the UK.

Since its launch in 2024, over 250,000 free cinema tickets have been claimed.

24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE screens for free at over 100 UK independent cinemas on 5-6 October 2026. Tickets are available now at escapetothecinema.co.uk.

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