A wholesome day full of animal cuddles, tractor rides, food markets, and more is back in Cheshire next month.
While Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park may be known as a unique place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living come all come together throughout the rest of the year, the Cheshire destination is getting taken over by a hugely-popular event for all the family for one day only this spring.
The adorable event – which was formerly known as ‘Farm Weekend’, but has been rebranded as ‘Spring Fest’ this year – has proven to be a massive success over the past few years, with families from all across Greater Manchester and the North West making their way to Macclesfield for some wholesome springtime fun.
And now, it’s back once again on Saturday 27 April.
Spring Fest returns next month with lamb cuddles, tractor rides, and more / Credit: Alderley Park
Spring Fest is set to be a chance to celebrate the magic of spring and everything that it means for wildlife, animals, and nature, and festivalgoers will be able to immerse themselves in countryside life and new beginnings right at the heart of Alderley Park’s scenic estate.
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You can expect a jam-packed day full of different outdoor family-friendly activities, performances, markets, and lots of local food and drink.
To coincide with Bruntwood SciTech’s 10 year anniversary of acquiring Alderley Park this year, the 2024 event will include live music from Cheshire-based band The Roaming Empire, plus a live DJ to get attendees into the Saturday spirit, while other new activities include a woodland trail treasure hunts for curious kids, exciting off-road adventures with mini Rovers, alongside educational and interactive farming pop-ups.
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There’ll be something for everyone to enjoy at the wholesome event / Credit: Supplied
The Alderley Park farm is home to 250 ewes and around 400 lambs, and this year, visitors will be able to admire the flock in the lambing shed, as well as pet other animals from the farm, and take tours of the whole site by tractor.
There’ll also be falconry displays, donkey rides, and spring crafts, while independent street food brands and bars will be popping up for a full festival experience.
Tickets to Spring Fest 2024 have officially gone on sale for £8 each this morning, with children under three going free and a 50p donation from each ticket going to charity.
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Tickets are on sale now for £8 each / Credit: Jody Hartley (via Alderley Park)
“We’re delighted to launch Spring Fest this April, and can’t wait to bring our most inspiring programme yet to the community,” commented Daniel Bourne, who is the Director of Asset Management at Bruntwood SciTech, as tickets went on sale today.
“As we celebrate 10 years of the transformation of Alderley Park, we thought it the perfect time to evolve our Farm Weekend event and pack in even more reasons to love spring and all that it embodies, as nature is at the heart of what we do at Alderley Park and we’re delighted to throw open our gates to the community to experience the joy of the park”.
Spring Fest 2024 is happening down at Alderley Park in Cheshire on Saturday 27 April, and you can grab your tickets for £8 each here.
Featured Image – Jody Hartley (via Alderley Park)
What's On
Top Northern Quarter vintage shop Gone Fishing is closing – with one final, massive sale
Daisy Jackson
Gone Fishing Vintage, one of the Northern Quarter’s top vintage shops, is closing for good after one final weekend in Manchester.
The popular shop will be going out with an almighty sale, offering 50% off everything in store on 10 and 11 January.
Gone Fishing has carved out a niche thanks to its menswear-focused, curated range of second hand fashion, often sourced from Italy.
You’ll always find a quality selection of brands including Stone Island, CP Company, Burberry, and Moschino.
And it’s caught plenty of eyes during its time on Oldham Street – just last year, Drake popped into Gone Fishing to buy himself a vest.
But now owner Seb Dixon has confirmed he’s closing down the shop – and soon.
He said it’s been a ‘f***ing tough decision’ but Gone Fishing has ‘outgrown the space’.
In a video shared to Instagram, he announced an ‘everything-must-go’ sale with half-price clothes this weekend, kicking off from 11am on Saturday 10 January.
Seb said: “Quick announcement – I’m closing down the shop. This might come as a bit of a surprise to you, but unfortunately it’s true.
“After doing this for so many years, it’s been a f***ing tough decision.
“So I started it as a passion project and it’s not the fact that I don’t have passion for it anymore or have fallen out of love with it or you guys. I just want to take it in a slightly different direction.
“I just feel like we’ve outgrown the space a little bit and how creative we can get in there, and creativity was the main reason why I started the business.
“So this weekend is our final weekend in the shop and we need to get rid of everything. So we’re doing 50% off all items.
“I reckon it’s gonna be a little big mad – we’ll open at 11 but I’d say get there a little bit earlier.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who shopped with us, supported us over the last few years. Especially the customers, we wouldn’t be here without you.
“Stay tuned as we release our new location where you can shop with us. Until then, see you on Saturday.”
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 12 – 18 January 2026
Emily Sergeant
It may be chilly out there, but January is really hotting up now.
Now that January is in full swing, we’re really not short of exciting activities and events to be getting up to right across Greater Manchester – with everything from smash-hit musicals to 360° walk-through projection shows happening this week.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries. We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
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The Great British Rail Sale
UK-wide
Monday 12 January
The Great British Rail Sale / Credit: Northern | Transpennine Express
The Great British Rail Sale has returned for 2026, with train ticket prices will be slashed by up to 50% or more – and this is your LAST DAY to make the most of it.
Millions of discounted train tickets for half term activities, weekend getaways, and even commuting are up for grabs, as the week-long rail sale – which has been running from 6 to 12 January 2026 – gives passengers the chance to save well over 50% on many advance and off-peak tickets.
The reduced fares can be used to travel on thousands of popular routes between 13 January and 25 March 2026.
Looking to escape the elements and have your mind boggled this winter? Sounds like a trip to Museum of Illusions is on the cards then.
It’s time to let your competitive side out – get ready to experience the city’s most unique attraction like never before. Race through the vortex, create the best mirror image, and complete the brain gym the fastest to win the dazzling trophy at the end.
Whether you’re team building with your work lot, or taking your mates for a bit of healthy competition, it’s a great one to have a go at.
A huge gaming event is happening in Manchester at the moment.
With more than 160 consoles and hundreds of games to play, Power UP at the Science and Industry takes ticket-holders on a journey through five decades of gaming, with everything from retro arcade games, to state-of-the-art virtual reality, and so much more.
Power UP is taking place each weekend only throughout this month, with each ticket including unlimited play all day.
Have you seen that Vue Manchester Quayside has had an ‘Ultra Lux’ upgrade?
Vue currently has 93 state-of-the-art cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, totalling more than 850 screens – and the Quayside cinema is the latest to benefit from upgraded seating.
75 brand-new ‘Ultra Lux’ seats have been installed across seven screens, offering film fans what is, quite literally, the chance to sit in the best seats in the house, as each seat provides the very-best view of the big screen and comes with a host of premium features.
Some of these exciting premium features include extra-wide armrests, a personal table for snacks and drinks, your very-own beverage cooler, and even a back and legs that recline independently.
Fancy making the most of all the January dining deals on offer over these next couple of weeks?
The time has come again for Manchester’s restaurants and bars to slash their prices in a bid to entice customers to keep eating and drinking out all throughout January, and that means hundreds of places are offering up half-price scran, added freebies, or two-for-one offers this month.
There’s loads of offers beyond Manchester city centre too, as suburban gems are getting in on the action in 2026.
So whether you’re looking for a date night for less, an affordable family dinner, or a cheap eat after work with your mates, we’ve got you covered.
Read our massive round-up of January dining deals here.
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Got a sweet tooth? This’ll cure it.
There’s nothing quite like a hot chocolate to warm you up on a chilly winter’s day, but we guarantee you’ve never seen a hot chocolate quite like this anywhere else in Manchester… it’s quite literally, hot chocolate.
Head down to Salvi’s in the Corn Exchange for a proper Italian hot chocolate.
It’s the kind of treat that makes you forget all about New Year’s resolutions (at least for the afternoon anyway, we won’t tell anyone).
You can even pair it with one of their famous cannolis for the ultimate sweet treat combo. We dunked ours straight in, no messing about.
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SIX The Musical
Manchester Palace Theatre
Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 January
SIX The Musical / Credit: ATG Tickets
SIX The Musical is arriving in Manchester this week.
The crowning glory of Broadway, the West End, and beyond, the international smash hit musical SIX makes its royal return to Manchester following its previous sold-out success, and will be taking to the Palace Theatre stage.
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From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power.
Find out more and get your hands on last-minute tickets to a show here.
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LUMINISCENCE
Manchester Cathedral
Wednesday 14 January – 26 March
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LUMINISCENCE Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Manchester Cathedral is set to be lit up with ‘truly stunning’ new 360° walk-through projection show this winter.
Combining 360° video mapping, new orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, and a narrative story celebrating everything that makes Manchester and its residents so special, visitors will be invited to step into a ‘spellbinding fusion’ of light, sound, and storytelling.
LUMINISCENCE is set to pay tribute to Manchester’s rich cultural heritage through specially arranged orchestral renditions of iconic anthems – with the setlist including songs by Oasis, The Verve, Joy Division, and Elbow, just to name a few.
The Matcha Kyoto has found a permanent city centre home.
There’s no denying that this viral matcha spot has gone crazy in Manchester, with pop-ups all over our city, but now, after huge fan demand, they’ve finally opened the doors to their very-own home, and are bringing a little slice of Japan to Lincoln Square.
Step inside their new cafe and you’ll find with traditional Kyoto details, as well as their famous matcha drinks topped with satisfying cream swirls and banana pudding.
They’ve even got a full food menu now, too. Think a range of sandwiches, including egg mayo, teriyaki chicken and black truffle mushroom, and delicious baked treats.
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Could a trip to the theatre could be on the cards this year?
Greater Manchester has firmly earned itself a spot as a place for world-renowned touring theatre productions to make a stop off at.
This beloved industry has now well and truly bounced-back post pandemic – with the region’s three main theatres, Palace Theatre Manchester, Opera House Manchester, and The Lowry, all having welcomed some absolute show-stopping productions in 2025.
Our region’s theatre events calendar is already jam-packed with award-winning musicals, family-friendly plays, inventive dance productions, and so much more in 2026, so we’ve rounded up some of the best shows to see and grab tickets for this year.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known for across the world, it’s music.
Our region is not only a historic musical hub in and of itself, having been the birthplace of so many legendary famous names, but it’s also a major UK stopping point on many global artists’ tour schedules too, thanks to the city’s various sizes of stage and venues.
This means there’s a jam-packed schedule of gigs happening all throughout 2026 – with something for everyone, no matter your taste in music.
Read our picks for 10 of the best gigs happening in Manchester this year here.
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What else is there to look forward to in Greater Manchester in 2026?
Oh, so much. So so much.
The next 12 months are shaping up to be another monumental year for Manchester, with absolutely loads of huge developments, events, and reopenings on the horizon. Expect major global events like the BRITs and The MOBO Awards, huge openings like The Medlock Hotel at the expanded Etihad Stadium, and the relaunch of venues like Manchester’s popular Cat Cafe, and The Spinners Rest (formerly known as The Shamrock).
We’ve rounded up some of the best things to look forward to throughout the year here.
Emily Sergeant -
1st March 2024 
