The Marrs Bar takes part in nationwide ‘Everywhere At Once’ festival celebrating grassroots music

Passers-by in Worcester were stopped in their tracks when lyrics from Becky Hill’s hit song Afterglow were projected onto The Marrs Bar, the city venue where the singer first took to the stage as a teenager.

The projection forms part of Everywhere At Once, a landmark festival partnership between Music Venue Trust and The National Lottery taking place on the weekend of June 26 to 28 – the dates that would have been Glastonbury Festival 2026.

More than 400 grassroots venues across the UK will host hundreds of live events, making it the country’s biggest festival.

Hill, who began performing her own compositions at The Marrs Bar at the age of 16, said r: “It was venues like this that allowed a very young me to begin to learn how to perform, sing and play guitar on stage, gaining my confidence and broadening my experience as a teenager.

“I look back on those times very fondly and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity that places like Marrs Bar provided.”

Celebrating grassroots roots

She added: “It saddens me greatly that grassroots venues are at risk as I believe that homegrown music is key to our country’s culture.

“I’m honoured to be working alongside The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust for their Everywhere At Once festival, 16 years later at the same venue but with far more experience.”

Similar projections are lighting up venues across the UK, including 229 in London, Carnegie Hall in Fife and Empire Music Hall in Belfast.

Alastair Ruxton, chief impact officer at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: “Grassroots venues are at the heart of these stories, providing essential spaces where emerging talent can develop while bringing communities together through shared live music experiences.”

More than £1 billion has been raised for music-related projects across the UK through National Lottery funding, supporting venues, festivals and emerging artists nationwide.