A new two-day festival filled with music, multi-arts, food, and wellness is coming to the Lancashire countryside this summer.
And tickets are now on sale.
After the success of a number of 2021 summer pop-up events, the inaugural Gatherings Festival will take over the Gisburne Park Estate in Clitheroe on Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 August 2022 – with event organisers promising a weekend of cultural indulgence, music and arts, fabulous feasts, and a sanctuary for wellbeing.
The festival will take place across the 1000-acre historic private estate, and will have an eclectic lineup across two days.
With the River Valley Main stage nestled in the woodlands, some of the live acts and DJs on the lineup include sets from Ibibio Sound Machine, Roger Sanchez, Crazy P, Craig Charles, Children Of Zeus Live, House Gospel Choir, Horse Meat Disco, Greg Wilson, PBR Streetgang, Homoelectric DJs, Hot Gorilla Records DJs, Moodymanc and more.
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The weekend will also be packed full of chances to tuck into exceptional dinners and feasts prepared by award-winning local chef Steven Smith.
The inaugural Gatherings Festival is happening on Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 August / Credit: Gatherings Festival
There’ll also be a VIP pool party, a Village Green with immersive theatre games, The Peacock Tales lounge with poets Chris Jam and Griot City, the chance to listen to some Ribble Valley folklore tales, a Mad Hatters Tea Party, and Hindelinis Jazz Café.
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When it comes to wellness, those looking for a rejuvenation experience like no other will get the opportunity to try out the popular ice bathing phenomenon, as well as IV drips, goat yoga, and so much more, all alongside wellness expert and influencer Davina Taylor.
And as Gatherings Festival is set in the ancient and mythical landscape of Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, and is said to take inspiration from the Sika deer that are synonymous with the wildlife sanctuary Gisburne Park Estate, festival-goers will also be able to experience the charm of their surroundings through performances of dance, theatre, art, poets, and storytellers, who will all play their part.
There’s a number of accommodation options to choose from too, including luxurious lodges, historic houses, and cosy cottages all with hot tubs, or a fully-kitted-out glamping village and the option to bring your own tent to camp in.
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It will take over the Gisburne Park Estate in Clitheroe and take inspiration from Lancashire’s mythical Ribble Valley / Credit: Gatherings Festival
“We are excited to bring Gatherings to all,” said Guy Hindley – co-founder of Gatherings Festival.
“On the success of our pop-ups last year, we wanted to create an annual music and cultural led boutique festival in the North, on this historic estate that I grew up on [and] Gatherings is just that – it’s the coming together of various tribes, creating a cultural melting pot.
“Music, multi arts, immersive theatre, wellness experiences, pop up restaurants, glamping, and much more will all happening throughout the weekend.
“And we have more plans to develop this beautiful estate’s Grade I-listed mansion and to create a series of smaller events throughout the seasons.”
The two-day festival will be filled with music, multi-arts, food, and wellness / Credit: Gatherings Festival
Tickets for Gatherings Festival are now on sale.
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There’s daily admission tickets available, adult weekend tickets – including general camping – priced at £166.95, Gatherlings (6-15 years) tickets setting you back £90.95, all under 6s going free, and Golden Gatherers packages available from £240.95.
You can find more information and grab tickets here.
Featured Image – Gatherings Festival
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Scare City returns to abandoned theme park with eight new horror zones this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Scare City will be back in the North West once again this Halloween, and there’s eight new chilling horror zones this year.
After having firmly cemented itself as the region‘s favourite horror event for the past five years running, Scare City has announced that it’s getting ready for ‘another year of terror’ over in Lancashire, and although it may be the middle of summer right now and spooky season is some time off, tickets are currently on sale.
Once summer is over, the nights draw in, and the temperatures begin to drop, Scare City will be taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park from next month, just as it has done for the past five years.
As mentioned, this year’s event is set to feature eight terrifying new zones.
Scare City returns to an abandoned North West theme park for another year of terror this Halloween / Credit: Jason Roberts (Supplied)
There is no single story to survive this year. Instead, guests will be thrown from one nightmare into another – from a Victorian barber with blood on his hands, to a demonic orphanage, a cannibal settlement, a cursed forest, and a military bunker where the deceased are no longer dead.
One of the most sinister new additions is ‘Cutthroat & Co’, where the polished world of a Victorian barber conceals something rotten beneath the surface.
There’s also ‘The Devils Orphanage’, which brings a far more unsettling kind of terror with the sounds of children’s laughter and nursery rhymes echoing through the place.
For those who make it beyond these horrors, there is little chance of finding safety.
The ‘Correction Facility’ plunges guests into the abandoned Camelot Asylum. ‘The Settlement’ offers a glimpse into a world after civilisation has collapsed, and ‘Thornveil Coven’ takes guests into a forest controlled by an ancient circle, where paths twist, whispers follow, and the woods themselves appear determined to keep intruders trapped.
‘CarniValley’ may be the only surviving zone from previous editions of Scare City, but survival is no longer guaranteed here.
Even when guests think they have escaped the horror, ‘Rest Bite’ offers no guarantee of safety, as the new food and bar experience has been designed as a retro diner and arcade inhabited by vampires and freaks who have their own ideas about entertainment.
More information about what other horrors await will be announced very soon.
Scare City 2026 will take over Camelot Theme Park, in Charnock Richard near Chorley in Lancashire, from Saturday 26 September and run until early November.
Tickets are now on sale and you can get yours here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manchester United pub reopens after major £400k refurb
Daisy Jackson
An Old Trafford pub that’s long been a favourite with Manchester United fans has reopened its doors after a major refurbishment.
The Tollgate has had a £400,000 investment to become a ‘Grandstand’ sports pub, with gigantic HD screens throughout, tiered seating so you always have a great view of the action, and a menu of classic pub bites to pair with your pint.
There’ll be a big event atmosphere with all key sporting fixtures shown throughout the week, including football, rugby, cricket, tennis, F1, darts, horse racing – you name it, The Tollgate will show it.
The enormous outdoor area has also been refurbished, with new outdoor TV screens and Marston’s ‘Order & Pay’ app letting you order a round from your seat without missing a goal.
You’ll even find screens outside the loos…
Soon, local artist Pic One will be painting a mural onto the side of the pub, making it even more of a landmark boozer for Old Trafford.
The huge new main HD screenInside The Tollgate after its refurbThe Tollgate’s installed a TV box outside
Back inside, you’ll find a regulation dart board and a pool table, with new competition leagues and ‘free to play’ recreational sessions taking place throughout the week.
As well as a smart new interior packed with local sporting memorabilia, The Tollgate has installed market-leading technology, including one particularly gigantic HD screen, along with multiple other HD screens in every area, and a state-of-the-art sound system.
As you pass by, you might spot a huge TV box outside the pub, which has been installed to reflect how big the screen inside is.
The Tollgate is offering fans and customers a chance to shape its future – they’re calling out for locals to provide more photographs and merchandise to decorate the space, including mementos to celebrate the achievements of local sports stars and teams.
United memorabilia on the wallsInside the new-look The TollgateA cosy corner of The Tollgate
On the menus, you’ll find a new menu of perfect pub bites, including sharing combo boxes, chicken wings, nachos, and burgers.
There’ll be bottomless fries on offer for local sports teams who manage to get their hands on a ‘Black Card’, with even more rewards if they win their game.
And all draught beer (and there’s a lot of it) is now available in two-pint cups.
To celebrate its launch, the pub invited a fellow Manchester United icon Ying-Hoi Soo (affectionately known to Reds as ‘Mr Miyagi’) to pull the first pint and officially mark the pub’s opening.
Ying is recognised for his selfless charity work, and The Tollgate plans to work closely with Ying in the future to support this.
The new Grandstand pub concept has been introduced after research revealed that 86% of sports fans prefer to watch games at sports pubs, thanks to their livelier atmosphere, better screens, and community feel.
A huge two-pint beerThere’s a pool tableAnd dart board insideThe food offering
Marston’s picked Tollgate as one of the pubs to receive the Grandstand makeover due to its involvement with local sports teams, community groups and charities.
Pub Partner, Michael McLoughlin, said: “We’ve loved welcoming the community back with open arms!
“The response has been fantastic to our food and drink offers, as well as the new technology to watch all kinds of sports – we’re thankful that our pub is always full of good vibes, and real community spirit.”
Emily Sergeant -
26th May 2022 
