Bongo’s Bingo, a craft beer festival, and a big Jubilee-themed street party are just some of the things to expect when Cheshire Fest returns next month.
Taking place at a brand-new Knutsford location, Cheshire Fest will return after a two-year hiatus this Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 June, with everything from live music, a Big Top circus, a street food fair, a wide range of family-friendly entertainment, and a headline performance from Liverpool band The Zutons on the lineup.
This year, the festival will take place at The Lambing Shed at Moseley Hall Farm in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, with four days of celebrations planned in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year.
Festival organisers say the 2022 lineup is “definitely the best we have ever had”.
Cheshire Fest prides itself on having “a real community feel”, thanks to partnering with a number of local businesses, and organisers say it’s the perfect festival for families and groups of friends to get together post-pandemic to enjoy some amazing music, great food and drink, and enjoy socialising again.
Here’s everything you can expect over the four-day festival.
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Cheshire Fest will return this Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend / Credit: Cheshire Fest
Thursday
Kicking-off on Thursday 2 June in the picturesque Cheshire countryside, the ever-popular Bongo’s Bingo will be taking place inside a Big Top Tent, and the iconic Jonny Bongo himself will host the show – with the usual crazy prizes, spontaneous dance-offs, rave intervals, and “magic moments of nostalgic escapism”.
It’s already being hailed as the “definitive bingo experience”.
Friday
The Cheshire Craft Beer Fest will take over the festival on Friday 3 June from 4pm-11pm, with a celebration of the best beers and street food all on the agenda, as well as an eclectic lineup of local live music artists and DJ sets.
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Once again, the event will be held in the Big Top Beer Hall with tables, seating, and solid flooring to dance the night away.
Tiny Rebel, Beavertown, Vocation, Batch 95, Neighbourhood, Swinkles, and Donkey Stone are some of the breweries set to offer up fresh brews across the extended weekend.
Then, as the evening draws in, the live music will be provided by Judge Jules with his 10-piece live band, and there’ll also be a DJ set from Take That’s Howard Donald, as well as Radio 1’s James Cusak spinning classic dance tracks on the decks.
Cheshire Fest prides itself on having “a real community feel” / Credit: Cheshire Fest
Festival organisers say the 2022 lineup is “definitely the best we have ever had” / Credit: Cheshire Fest
Saturday
Then, on Saturday 4 June, the festival welcomes Liverpool indie band The Zutons, and a duo of DJ sets from two local legends – Hooky (Peter Hook) of New Order, Joy Division, The Light and Hacienda Club, and Clint Boon of 90’s Manchester band Inspiral Carpets.
As the party continues, 90s house music queens, Angie Brown and Rozalla, will be performing live on stage, before trio K-Klass headline with a closing set of hits.
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LDF DJs & Friends will also be taking over the Tipi Disco.
And if all of that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, on top of all the music, there will also be a big selection of bars, serving everything from craft beers to gin and prosecco, as well as a street food village, an artisan market, plenty of kids entertainment, and a fun fair too.
Sunday
Sunday 5 June is Jubilee Family Day.
To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, Cheshire Festival will become one giant street party on Sunday, with a whole programme of family entertainment including – the Greatest Showman Show by A Million Dreams, amazing circus skills from Nula Hula, Mark The Storyteller, and a magical giant bubble show from eBublio, with all the colours of the rainbow floating through the fields.
To cap off the day, cover bands will be playing greatest hits from across the decades – with The Cavern Beatles, Planet Abba, Manytones, and U2UK.
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The festival will take place at The Lambing Shed at Moseley Hall Farm in the heart of the Cheshire countryside / Credit: Cheshire Fest
The first phase of tickets for Cheshire Fest 2022 have already sold out, but the second release is now on sale, and you can get your hands on tickets for either individual days or the whole weekend.
Starting at just £8.50 for children and £16.20 for adults, you can get tickets here.
Featured Image – Cheshire Fest
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JD Sports, Nike and MADE Running just hosted a historic 5k race INSIDE the Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Native run club and growing viral fitness phenomenon MADE Running made a bit of local history this past weekend by teaming up with JD Sports and Nike to host the first-ever 5k race inside The Trafford Centre.
Yes, you read that right – and this is just the start…
Many of us have wondered what it would be like to see what the iconic Greater Manchester shopping destination is like after it closes, but in our case, these lot genuinely realised a childhood dream of ours: opening up the place for just you and your mates and running full tilt through its stunning, shiny halls.
In the case ofMADE, they’re no strangers to shutting down major Manc thoroughfares with the hundreds that flock to their regular running meets throughout the week.
As for the landmark 5k run in and aroundThe Trafford Centre, a huge turn-out of runners started outside the JD megastore on Sunday 8 February, before looping around the interior, through the food court, out into the car park and back inside – even more came out, and from all over.
The event was put on thanks to JD, in celebration of their new We Run This City campaign, showcasing Nike Performance products.
The new range includes ‘running basics, just better’, three head-turning running shoes – the Vomero Plus, the Vomero 18, and the Pegasus Premium – and athleisure pieces that slip seamlessly into your daily wardrobe.
This latest JD and Nike campaign has been created to keep the motivation and momentum of the new year going well into 2026, with ‘the looks to run this city’.
And as part of the campaign, JD teamed up with MADE Running for the Trafford Centre run event over the weekend, which had people gathering from all over – elsewhere in the North West, the Midlands, Scotland, London and even as far as Dubai.
It’s an emotional event that perfectly captured the spirit of the Nike collection and of Manchester, with founder Hermen Dange telling the assembled runners that he was in prison just a few years ago, and now the balance of good fortune, humility and the drive to be better has transformed their lives, and continues to do the same for so many.
Fast forward to today, and he’s met with theNike CEO and his ever-growing crew are decked out in one of the hottest running shoes around right now, the ‘Vomero’, with more height and (most importantly) more comfort.
Following plenty of pre-event festivities, including a live DJ, shoe try-ons and impromptu dance-offs, the elite runners got underway, followed by hordes of others who aren’t just putting their work ethic through its paces but had an incredibly fresh start time, with people arriving from as early as 6.30am.
Not only is this way earlier than most parkruns up and down the country, but seeing such commitment from Mancs and many other attendees en masse was genuinely inspiring.
That pretty much sums up everything you need to know about what Hermen and co. have created, to be honest. You only had to see how people looked and listened to his emotional speeches before and after the run.
The run’s warm-up was quickly followed by another motivational speech to cheer runners on, with plenty of hugs and even tears shared.
MADE Running’s journey is a mad one, not least because of the countless people who’ve helped make it happen, and with Hermen informing those who travelled all manner of distances that the hope is for this to be just the first of several similar events, the inaugural MADE Running UK tour was officially teased.
Watch this space and keep your eyes peeled for dates coming soon.
And you can browse the full Nike ‘We Run This City’ with JD HERE.
Manchester’s very own Central Park-style lakeside cafe reveals major refurb
Daisy Jackson
Heaton Park’s beloved Lakeside Cafe has just unveiled a major transformation.
The waterside cafe overlooks the park’s iconic boating lake, where swan boat pedalos and row boats float on the water.
It’s always been a popular spot to stop on a day out for coffees, cakes, and classic full breakfasts – but now it’s got a brand-new look too.
The Lakeside Cafe has just reopened its doors, showing off a retro, lakehouse-style interior, complete with a mural by local artist Myro Doodles.
There’s a brand-new vintage-style photobooth outside, which adds to the charm and nostalgia of the boating lake – and it’s arrived just in time for Valentine’s Day too.
You’ll still find the grab-and-go hatch outside, where you can pick up takeaway coffees, milkshakes and ice creams to walk around the lake with.
Back inside, there are loads of unique touches like items sourced from vintage shops and other pieces from independent local businesses, plus cosy and accessible seating.
Staff at The Lakeside CafeThe takeaway coffee and ice cream hatchInside the refurbished cafeA new retro photoboothCoffee and cake at the Lakeside CafeA new retro photoboothStacked sandwichesThe Myro Doodles muralMilkshakes
The cafe has invested into brand-new equipment like a state-of-the-art coffee machine to speed up proceedings for customers too.
The Lakeside Cafe, and its sister site up the hill The Stables Cafe, are both popular places to refuel post-Parkrun, mid-dog walk, or on a full date day.
The menu remains as before, with huge stacked sandwiches like a classic BLT, a beef brisket with dipping gravy, and a maple and bourbon BBQ chicken stack.
Those are alongside cafe classics like full English breakfasts, jacket potatoes, and toasties.
The Lakeside Cafe has now reopened at Heaton Park – you can find it beside the boating lake.
Emily Sergeant -
28th April 2022 
