BeeU, a new festival in Manchester that was to be headlined by Steps, has been cancelled.
The festival informed ticket-holders over the weekend that its Platt Fields Park event would no longer take place.
Shortly afterwards, the BeeU website and its Instagram page were taken down.
Organisers said it was ‘not a decision taken lightly’ and thanked everyone who had supported the new event.
Pop group Steps were meant to be performing as part of their 25th anniversary tour around the UK.
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Steps’ statement on BeeU Festival. Credit: Facebook, Steps
The band said they were ‘disappointed’ that the event, along with Party at The Park in Perth, had been called off.
They wrote in a Tweet: “We are disappointed to announce that the promoters of BeeUFest Manchester on Jun 18 and Party at The Park in Perth on Jun 19 are no longer able to proceed with these festival shows. Please contact your point of purchase for refunds.
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“We are sad we won’t be seeing you on those dates but we hope you can make it to other shows in our #Steps25 summer run. All other dates are going ahead as planned.”
A statement from BeeU Festival organisers said: “We are deeply disappointed to have to announce that BeeUFest will not be going ahead this summer.
We are disappointed to announce that the promoters of BeeUFest Manchester on Jun 18 and Party at The Park in Perth on Jun 19 are no longer able to proceed with these festival shows. Please contact your point of purchase for refunds. pic.twitter.com/rs8DybEatk
“We have worked hard over the last few months to bring an exciting and vibrant new event to the centre of Manchester however, sadly, we have been unable to manage this.
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“We appreciate this will be hugely disappointing for our ticket holders, many of whom supported the event from the very beginning.”
All ticket-holders have been contacted and will automatically be issued refunds.
Ticket-holders have also been given free tickets to a Jubilee party in Sackville Gardens, which is being headlined by The Vengaboys, Cheeky Girls, and Cascada.
The replacement tickets also include entry to after-parties at Bar Pop and Churchill’s in the Gay Village.
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A further statement from BeeU Festival said: “We would like to thank everyone for their support that bought tickets.
“Unfortunately with large scale events comes great costs and we understood that at the beginning, we did everything in our means to promote this event and bring a brand new fun festival to Manchester, this summer, but unfortunately we can only do so much our end and due to this had to make the decision to cancel.
“This was not a decision taken lightly but one we had to make. All ticket holders have now been contacted and fully refunded. Once again we thank everyone that was in support of this event and bought tickets.”
Featured image: Steps
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Oldham police issue dispersal order following ‘repeat incidents’ of disorder in town centre
Emily Sergeant
A dispersal order has been issued in Oldham following ‘repeat incidents’ of disorder between groups of youths.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that it has implemented a Section 35 dispersal order and additional Section 60 ‘stop and search’ powers in Oldham following repeat incidents of disorder between groups of youths in the town centre.
The measures were introduced yesterday afternoon (9 December) after reports of disorder came into police, which also followed similar incidents seen earlier this and last week.
So far, five arrests have been made in connection with the incidents – two for violent disorder, and three for possession of offensive weapons.
A Section 35 dispersal order is in effect for 48 hours until 1:25pm this Thursday (11 December), and the Section 60 is in effect for an initial 24 hours until 1:25pm today.
#UPDATE | We have implemented a Section 35 dispersal order and a Section 60 stop and search powers in Oldham Town Centre today at 1:25pm.
The measures will remain in place for 48 hours for the S.35 and for 24 hours for the S.60 following disorder.
The dispersal order allows officers to exclude a person, or people, from an area for up to 48 hours through a written notice, while the Section 60 authority grants officers extended powers to stop and search individuals within the area.
Neighbourhood officers will maintain a high-visibility presence in the area and will use these powers where necessary to ‘keep the public safe’.
“These measures are in place to prevent further disorder and ensure the safety of those living, working, and visiting Oldham town centre,” commented Inspector Amie Whitehead, who is the Neighbourhood Inspector for Oldham South & West.
“We will not tolerate antisocial behaviour and will take robust action against anyone involved.
“These powers are crucial to preventing any further offences from taking place. If you have any concerns or any information, then please speak to those officers who are there to help.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact police via 101 or using the LiveChat function on www.gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1619 of 09/12/25.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Trafford Centre announces opening hours for 2025/26 festive season – including Boxing Day
Emily Sergeant
Trafford Centre has published its full list of opening hours for this current festive season.
We all know that the Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year for the retail industry, with people flocking to the shops in their millions to snap up festive gifts for their loved ones, and it only gets busier from Boxing Day onwards too when all the sales launch, offering shoppers some unmissable deals and bargains.
And nowhere in Greater Manchester gets busier during the festive season than the Trafford Centre. After all, with more than 200 stores all under one room, it’s not hard to see why.
This year, shoppers can make the most of extended opening hours at the Trafford Centre right through to New Year’s Day – with late night shopping until 11pm on selected dates in December leading up to the big day.
Alongside being a one-stop-shop for gifts, there’s also dozens of festive events and new Christmas lights to enjoy at the Trafford Centre too, so visitors can tick everything off their list and have a great day out while they’re at it.
The shopping centre will be open from 9am – 5pm on Christmas Eve, so you can whip round and grab any last-minute presents, before it’s closed fully on Christmas Day, and then opens again bright and early at 8am on Boxing Day.
Trafford Centre Christmas Opening Hours 2025/26
18 and 19 December: 10am – 11pm
20 December: 10am – 10pm
21 December: 12pm – 6pm
22 and 23 December: 10am – 11pm
Christmas: 9am – 5pm
Christmas Day: Closed
26 December: 8am – 8pm (some stores may be closed, please check with individual brands)
27 December: 10am – 9pm
28 December: 12pm – 6pm
29 and 30 December: 10pm – 10pm
New Year’s Eve: 9am – 5pm
New Year’s Day: 12pm – 6pm
It’s also worth noting, however, that not every store inside the Trafford Centre will be open on Boxing Day, so you’ll need to check with individual brands ahead of time.
For the restaurants, stores, and leisure venues that are open, you can check their specific trading hours on the Trafford Centre website here.
When it comes to festive event, The Grotto is open until Christmas Eve for pre-bookings only, and the Christmas fairground and ice rink, Big Wheel, and Gandeys Snowstorm Firebird show are all open until 4 January (closed Christmas Day).
Daisy Jackson -
17th May 2022 
