A massive beer and cider festival that took place in Manchester last weekend has addressed fall-out on social media after some attendees slammed it as the ‘weirdest most dysfunctional festival ever‘.
People have said that the International Brewing and Cider Festival had a ‘strange atmosphere’ due to there being ‘no one there’, had a limited selection of drinks, and was generally ‘a bloody awful evening’.
Some people have even gone so far as to compare it to the now-infamous Wonka Experience.
But the festival has now hit back at these harsh reviews online, saying that there were more than 400 different types of beer and cider available, with around 800 attendees over the weekend.
In a statement, they apologised for a ‘less than perfect experience’.
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The International Brewing and Cider Festival – a not-for-profit trade organisation – stressed that ‘early teething troubles’ were ironed out as the event progressed through its four sessions.
As well as inviting breweries from around the world to serve up beers under one roof in one of Manchester’s coolest venues, the beer festival had 19 food and drink traders, and a programme of live music and DJs.
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Despite only receiving a couple of actual complaints directly, the festival has been hit with criticism on social media.
Visitors to the beer festival at Depot Mayfield had shared photos of a mostly-empty venue at points over the weekend, with many saying it was ‘freezing’ inside.
One person wrote: “I went with a mate and we left after an hour. The venue was so freezing that the beer itself was too cold to enjoy.”
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Someone else said: “This was by a country mile the worst event (not just beer event) I’ve ever attended. Truly horrific.”
The International Brewing and Cider Festival, a beer festival in Mancheser, has been hit with complaints. Credit: X, @SimonR
A detailed tale of the experience on Reddit, which said the International Brewing and Cider Festival was a ‘contender for Manchester’s Wonka experience’.
They said that they were ‘greeted by an extremely rude person’ and then struggled to order a beer, with several beers on the list unavailable and ended up with ‘a plastic cup of foam’.
The person said: “It was still early at this point so I expected it to get a bit busy but it never did combined with some depressing music and freezing cold temperatures the atmosphere was strange.”
Someone else said on X: “It was a massive scam. Willy Wonka type scam. No one there. Beers not great. It absolutely was not worth £40. The keg bar was closed, the cask bar closed at 8:30, the only decent beer available was from the few independent brewers who had decided to stick around (half had left). No atmosphere as no one there. Just awful.”
Another person said: “I don’t think I’ve been to a worse organised event. The term ‘Couldn’t organise a pi55 up in a brewery’ was made for this festival.
“Mid session there were less than 100 people. The signs on the cask and keg were too small to read at any distance. People pouring on the bar had no knowledge of any of the beers & no info in the app.
“For the entry fee of £20 to drink out of plastic, beer costing ‘town prices’, & some of the brewers had packed up and left hours before the end, left me feeling like I’d been ripped off.”
A spokesperson for the International Brewing & Cider Festival said: “We are very sorry that some people had a less than perfect experience – this was our first Festival and when you start something new, there will be learnings.
“We are a not-for-profit trade organisation representing the value chain, supplying the brewing and beverage industry.
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The International Brewing and Cider Festival, a beer festival in Mancheser, has been hit with complaints. Credit: X, @SimonRThe International Brewing and Cider Festival, a beer festival in Mancheser, has been hit with complaints. Credit: Reddit, u/Luc1dJay
“As the organiser of the oldest international brewing and cider awards in the world, we held the Awards in Manchester this year and wanted to bring the entries from around the world to the public in the city.
“We adapted throughout the two days, ironing out some early teething troubles to deliver a better model as the event progressed.”
But now that Indy Man Beer Con has announced it won’t be returning for 2024, there’s definitely room in Manchester for a new beer festival.
Let’s it comes back to the city again and next time, is a roaring success.
Count Binface says he’ll put a £2 price cap on Wigan kebabs if he wins the Makerfield by-election
Emily Sergeant
Count Binface is officially running in the Makerfield by-election and has now shared his hilarious manifesto with the public.
Price-capped Wigan kebabs and 99p ice creams, cyclists being forced to ride unicycles if they break the Highway Code, and the renaming of HS2 to ‘FFS1’ are just some of the declarations being made by Makerfield by-election candidate, Count Binface.
In case you’re not up-to-speed on the Makerfield by-election coming up on 18 June – which was called after Labour’s Josh Simons announced he was standing down – there are now a total of 14 hopefuls set to contest the parliamentary seat.
Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, is by far the most well-known candidate in the running, alongside other names like Conservative’s Michael Winstanley, Liberal Democrats’ Jake Austin, the Green Party’s Sarah Wakefield, and Reform UK’s Michael Kenyon.
But Burnham is not the only big name… there’s also Count Binface too, of course.
Count Binface – previously known as Lord Buckethead – is the alias of comedian and perennial candidate, Jonathan David Harvey.
He announced his intentions to run for the Makerfield seat last month, before officially publishing his manifesto today (3 June), which includes 20 pledges – some serious, others less so… we presume.
On a more local level to the Makerfield area, if Count Binface wins the by-election, he has pledged to re-phase the traffic lights on Liverpool Road to ease congestion, increase the free parking limit at the Gerard Centre to three hours, and to make Galloways’ Full Monty Bin Lid breakfast the country’s new national dish.
And then on a more comical level – yes, even more comical than a new national dish – this is where you’ll find pledges like making sure there’s WiFi on trains that works and also ‘trains that work’ too, as well as the bringing back of Ceefax teletext for all Greater Manchester residents, and the increasing of points for tries in Rugby League from four to five ‘in line with inflation’.
Oh yeah, and there’s the promise that Count Binface will be the UK’s entrant to Eurovision in 2027, let’s not forget that.
Anyway, like we said, the Makerfield by-election is coming up on 18 June, and you can find out more information about all the candidates on the Wigan Council website here.
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Stockport man who squirted semen on women in supermarkets jailed
Daisy Jackson
A ‘sexual predator’ from Stockport who squirted women with a bottle of semen in supermarkets has been jailed.
William Kidd, 27, was found to be following unsuspecting women while they shopped, and was caught four times on CCTV spraying his victims with a ‘substance from a bottle’.
This substance was later confirmed through forensic analysis to be Kidd’s own semen, which he aimed at women’s hair or backs.
These ‘depraved’ acts took place across five separate incidents between May and September 2025, in stores across Macclesfield, Handforth and Stanley Green in Cheshire, as well as Denton and Stockport in Greater Manchester.
As well as the semen spraying, Kidd was found to have followed a woman through a store and secretly filmed her on his mobile phone while she shopped with her five‑year‑old daughter.
Following his arrest in October 2025, Kidd’s phone was reviewed and it was found he had filmed up a woman’s skirt while she was pushing a small child in a shopping trolley.
Kidd was also found to be in possession of a quantity of cannabis at the time of his arrest.
William Kidd has been jailed after he was discovered to be squirting semen on women in Stockport
The Stockport man appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Friday 29 May, where he was sentenced to four years in prison and is now subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which remains in place indefinitely.
The 27-year-old of Stanbank Street had earlier pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault on a female, two counts of voyeurism, eight counts of recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent, and possession of cannabis.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Tiffany Berry-Perkin said: “Firstly, I would like to commend the victims in this case for the strength and bravery they have shown throughout this investigation.
“It is thanks to their continued support that our team was able to gather an overwhelming body of evidence against Kidd, leaving him with no option but to plead guilty.
“Kidd deliberately targeted innocent women as they went about their everyday lives, entirely unaware of the depraved acts he was committing against them.
“His behaviour is completely unacceptable, and I welcome the fact that he is now being held accountable behind bars, where he can no longer pose a danger to women in our communities.”
Detective Sergeant Steven Kaminski said: “This case is an excellent example of neighbouring forces working together to identify and apprehend offenders who target women and girls.
“Kidd was fully aware that what he was doing was wrong. He knew his actions would cause his victims extreme distress, yet he chose to continue, deliberately travelling to multiple stores across two counties with the intention of violating and ultimately sexually assaulting innocent women.
“Putting an end to violence against women and girls remains a top priority for the force, and we will continue to remove sexual predators like Kidd from Cheshire and ensure they see justice.
“We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.
“Victims should never feel ashamed of what has been done to them. Anyone who comes forward will be met with compassion, respect, and specialist support from our officers, alongside partner support agencies. All victims of sexual offences are entitled to anonymity, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the help and protection they deserve.”
Daisy Jackson -
27th March 2024 
