Last week we announced that Wing Fest was returning to Manchester this summer after its massive debut up North last year.
The largest and most popular chicken wing festival is lathering up for 2020 and have now announced the return of its hugely popular hot wings challenge.
The two day festival, which takes place over Saturday 14th August and Sunday 15th August on First Street South in Manchester city centre, will be home to street food traders, bbq teams and pop-ups who will all be competing for the title of ‘UK’s best chicken wings’.
And for those who like their wings with a bit of extra spice, the festival’s famous hot wing challenge is guaranteed to melt your mouth.
Dr Sweetsmoke’s Lava Wing Challenge is pretty straightforward, simply eat six Lava Wings as fast as you can. You then have to last a further three minutes without drinking anything or wiping your face.
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Sound easy? Well, think again – it’s the hottest wing challenge in the UK for a reason and only two or three people manage to complete it every year.
So just how hot are these wings? Well, the last time Wing Fest tried to test what Scoville Heat Unit the sauce was, the kit they had couldn’t go high enough to measure it. Brilliant.
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They even had to tone it down a bit for legal reasons in 2016 after discovering the challenge was a little bit more dangerous than they originally imagined. However, don’t worry, you’re in safe hands in 2020.
Dr Sweetsmoke brews and strengthens his infamous Lava Sauce over a 12-month period and heat aside, they taste incredible. As do any wings you will consume at Wing Fest.
To get involved, you’ll have to purchase a festival ticket when they go live on Friday 28th February. You can then enter the challenge on site at the festival.
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Sam Ridgway -
19th February 2020 
