Stockport’s proudly independent Moovin’ Festival is back on the farm this summer for its 10th anniversary edition.
The beloved local music event, which takes over Whitebottom Farm in the picturesque Etherow Country Park, has announced its full line-up for this year’s celebration.
Moovin’ Festival 2024 will include headline performances from Leftfield and legendary DJ Laurent Garnier, plus Sampa the Great, Erol Alkan, Crazy P, David Rodigan, Souls of Mischief, Mr Scruff, Greg Wilson, Jaguar Skills, Congo Natty, Ray Keith, DRS, Nicky Blackmarket, Nubiyan Twist, K Klass and many more innovative bands, DJs and live acts from across the spectrum.
Taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, Moovin will also bring together up and coming local performers and events like circus performances, yoga sessions, holistic treatments, and ethically sourced cuisine.
Widely considered one of the region’s best music events, Moovin has gone from being ‘Manchester’s best kept secret’ to a staple in the calendar every year.
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The festival pitches itself as an ‘exceptional celebration of sonic brilliance, eclectic music, and quirkiness, set in a beautiful and intimate environment’.
Moovin Festival has announced its 2024 line-up. Credit: Supplied
The packed line-up will take places in the stunning surroundings of the eco-friendly Whitebottom Farm, where spaces to be discovered include a hidden oasis adorned with lush trees, serene lakes, and a captivating gorge plus stages like the iconic Barn Stage, a spacious cow shed with cosy hay bales for relaxation.
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The ‘adult playground of music and magic’ features state-of-the-art sound systems and a relaxed ambiance.
French techno legend and scene hero Laurent Garnier will be among the headliners – a rare chance to catch this pioneering artist who isn’t frequently touring these days.
He will be joined by Leftfield, fellow icons in the scene who have put out seminal albums, lay down heavy techno beats and have endless classic hits in their arsenal.
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Iconic hip-hop group Souls of Mischief and reggae legend David Rodigan, along with Afro beats pioneer and global star Sampa The Great are also on the bill for Moovin’ 2024.
Moovin regular and Hacienda legend Graeme Park makes a welcome return to celebrate 40 years in the scene, Congo Natty celebrates 30 years as a pioneer of the jungle revolution, Erol Alkan brings his raucous mix of indie dance sounds, Crazy P will play a DJ set that explores all forms of disco, and Prince Fatty & Horseman will lay down their dub sounds.
The line-up continues with the captivating sounds of Nubiyan Twist, the infectious beats of K Klass, and the mesmerising performance artistry of Oh My God It’s the Church and their unique gospel sound.
Dub FX is set to deliver an electrifying performance that will keep the crowd moving, while Moovin residents DJ Paulette, Mr. Scruff, Krafty Kuts, Greg Wilson, and Jaguar Skills are back to showcase their unparalleled talents on the turntables as they traverse the world of disco, funk, hip hop, breaks, soul, jazz, and plenty in between.
Fans of drum & bass and jungle music are in for a treat once more with heavyweight offerings from DRS, Ray Keith, DJ Randall, Nicky Blackmarket, Mark XTC, and many more.
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DJ Paulette says: “Whenever I get to play Moovin Festival it’s a highlight of my festival calendar. As soon as I see the waterfall I feel like I’m home.The crowd is just beautiful and tech energy is electric.”
Groove Armada said: “At the bottom of a tree lined valley, a hay barn with a fat sound-system. A freewheeling crowd, no VIP red ropes, no hassle , just music and good vibes. 90s free party? No its the brilliant Moovin’ festival.”
And Graeme Park commented: “I absolutely adore DJing at Moovin’. It’s truly a unique and magical experience with totally incredible vibes!”
From drone shows to free ice lollies – what went down at Parklife 2025
Daisy Jackson
It’s been a few days since Parklife 2025 wrapped up, and now that we’ve all caught up on sleep we’re looking back on some of the highlights you might’ve missed.
With such a stacked line-up of live music, it would be impossible to have seen everything – from that sizzling final set from Charli XCX to Morgan Seatree’s emotional hometown show, plus viral sensation Interplanetary Criminal filling Matinee and D.O.D. getting the whole Big Top dancing.
One moment that you couldn’t possibly have missed if you were on the ground at Parklife festival was a surprise drone show which dazzled overhead on Saturday night.
As rap legend 50 Cent wrapped up his huge headline set on The Valley stage, and The Hangar came alive to the sound of Pawsa, fans got an extra special treat way up in the skies.
Hundreds of drones came together in an impressive, illuminated aerial display, starting with a 10-second countdown that stopped festival-goers in their tracks.
The drones then flew in formation to create iconic shapes like a yellow JD Sports duffle bag, an adidas shoebox, and the shape of a slowly-rotating Climacool trainer – and what a trainer it is.
The adidas drone show on Saturday nightadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies50 Cent on The Valley stageadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies
That wasn’t the only bit of attention the Climacool footwear got at Parklife either – thankful fans were treated to free Climacool branded ice lollies and slushies on their way into the festival on Saturday.
As the sun beat down on Heaton Park (bar the odd brief downpour, classic Manchester), adidas and JD Sports arrived in an ice cream truck with the coolest drop at the festival.
There was a helping hand from social media sensation Yombo to hype up the crowd before the festival had even got started.
The Climacool has a textile lining and upper work, with a perforated midsole to allow airflow and keep your feet fresh – perfect for any city adventure (and pretty perfect for a day at Parklife, we discovered).
If the Climacool trainers have caught your eye – either in the sky, at the Climacool ice cream truck, or on social media – then the good news is you can now shop them for yourselves.
First Look: Fitzpatrick’s – Stockport’s new Irish Bar gets off to a stunning start
Danny Jones
Stockport has a brand new Irish bar as the growing Greater Manchester trend continues, with Fitzpatrick’s officially debuting to the public on Thursday, 19 June.
Taking over the former Bask site just outside the train station, Fitzpatrick’s is the borough’s answer to American sports bar meets an Irish pub and grill, with live music, a wide array of food and more.
We had the privilege of walking in on opening day, and the place was absolutely packed to the rafters from the off, and we didn’t even stay until the end. More fool us…
We had a grand auld time seeing @fitzstockport open their doors yesterday evening. ☘️
As you can see, it hasn’t taken them any time at all to get an atmosphere going; good weather on their inaugural day, but the free-flowing beer, classic pub food flying out of the kitchen, and musicians reeling off classic Irish folk music did most of the heavy lifting.
Plus, that beer garden and covered outdoor terrace area are pretty perfect in any weather, to be fair.
The scran on their maiden evening mainly consisted of pizza, chips and other easy-to-serve-up plates as they gradually ease into the first week or so of service, but with a full menu of burgers, pies, breakfasts and even Sunday roasts to come, we’re very excited to try the full gamut.
Regardless, the staff were pulling pints like pros, John himself had plenty of involvement greeting people and getting behind the bar, and the atmosphere was buzzing from minute one.
ln fact, that was arguably the best part about it all: there was that genuine feeling of a new community cornerstone being born, with the well-known Stopfordian reeling off names and recognising what seemed like almost every face that walked through the door.
You don’t get that everywhere.
A lay of the land at Fitzpatrick’s Stockport. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Although this was their first proper day of trading, they had already gauged the kind of crowds they could expect by soft launching with friends and family last week.
That being said, as mentioned, there was a real tight-knit, community feel to the place, full of County kits, young families and older couples alike, all of whom seemed to be dovetailing together as if the pub had always been around.
SK is often dubbed one of those places where everyone kind of knows everyone, even despite how big the town is as a whole, and this definitely felt like proof of that perception.
Of course, there is some familiarity with the space having previously been Bask, but the location of the stage, a newly decked out bar and the large jumbo-tron style TV set-up for live sport in the centre of the room (providing prime viewing from virtually all angles) have made a big difference.
Based solely on the hordes of people that piled into the place the second the doors opened, we can’t wait to see what the gaff is like once it’s in so-called ‘full swing’. John and his team might just be on to something big here.
Speaking to The Manc, he said: “As a local lad, I wanted to put something into the space that reflects a lot of my history and culture. Music, food, sport and a great atmosphere are all things I love, so I wanted to reflect that in this gorgeous space.”
Open 4-11 from Tuesday to Thursday, 2pm until late on Fridays, and the same only from 1pm at weekends, we can imagine Stockport punters are about to be spending a lot of time in Fitzpatrick’s.
Daisy Jackson -
24th April 2024 
