A wholesome day full of animal cuddles, tractor rides, food markets, and more is back in Cheshire next month.
While Bruntwood SciTech’s Alderley Park may be known as a unique place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living come all come together throughout the rest of the year, the Cheshire destination is getting taken over by a hugely-popular event for all the family for one day only this spring.
The adorable event – which was formerly known as ‘Farm Weekend’, but has been rebranded as ‘Spring Fest’ this year – has proven to be a massive success over the past few years, with families from all across Greater Manchester and the North West making their way to Macclesfield for some wholesome springtime fun.
And now, it’s back once again on Saturday 27 April.
Spring Fest returns next month with lamb cuddles, tractor rides, and more / Credit: Alderley Park
Spring Fest is set to be a chance to celebrate the magic of spring and everything that it means for wildlife, animals, and nature, and festivalgoers will be able to immerse themselves in countryside life and new beginnings right at the heart of Alderley Park’s scenic estate.
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You can expect a jam-packed day full of different outdoor family-friendly activities, performances, markets, and lots of local food and drink.
To coincide with Bruntwood SciTech’s 10 year anniversary of acquiring Alderley Park this year, the 2024 event will include live music from Cheshire-based band The Roaming Empire, plus a live DJ to get attendees into the Saturday spirit, while other new activities include a woodland trail treasure hunts for curious kids, exciting off-road adventures with mini Rovers, alongside educational and interactive farming pop-ups.
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There’ll be something for everyone to enjoy at the wholesome event / Credit: Supplied
The Alderley Park farm is home to 250 ewes and around 400 lambs, and this year, visitors will be able to admire the flock in the lambing shed, as well as pet other animals from the farm, and take tours of the whole site by tractor.
There’ll also be falconry displays, donkey rides, and spring crafts, while independent street food brands and bars will be popping up for a full festival experience.
Tickets to Spring Fest 2024 have officially gone on sale for £8 each this morning, with children under three going free and a 50p donation from each ticket going to charity.
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Tickets are on sale now for £8 each / Credit: Jody Hartley (via Alderley Park)
“We’re delighted to launch Spring Fest this April, and can’t wait to bring our most inspiring programme yet to the community,” commented Daniel Bourne, who is the Director of Asset Management at Bruntwood SciTech, as tickets went on sale today.
“As we celebrate 10 years of the transformation of Alderley Park, we thought it the perfect time to evolve our Farm Weekend event and pack in even more reasons to love spring and all that it embodies, as nature is at the heart of what we do at Alderley Park and we’re delighted to throw open our gates to the community to experience the joy of the park”.
Spring Fest 2024 is happening down at Alderley Park in Cheshire on Saturday 27 April, and you can grab your tickets for £8 each here.
Featured Image – Jody Hartley (via Alderley Park)
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Club de Padel to close current Manchester location to make way for more Deansgate Square skyscrapers
Daisy Jackson
Club de Padel, the first padel club to open in Manchester, will be relocating from its Deansgate Square home.
The wildly popular sports club will close next week, as landowners Renaker begin the next phase of development of the skyscraper district.
Club de Padel is keeping its new location under wraps for now – but will be going out from its current Manchester home with a bang.
The club, which welcomed more than 100,000 people in the first year alone, will be offering free padel for all before it closes at Deansgate Square.
Club de Padel launched back in 2023, with four competition-grade courts, and has since added a Finnish sauna experience with Good Sauna, launched a best-selling clothing range with UN:IK, plus become the home for Manchester’s most popular run club with MADE Running.
As well as that, the club has been donating free courts and coaching during the school holidays to local children’s charity Wood Street Mission, and hosting events with the likes of adidas, REFY and Blank Street Coffee.
It’s been one of the city’s top sporting success stories, attracting attention from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Hypebae and the BBC.
But now Club de Padel will be leaving its current home ahead of Renaker’s expansion of its luxury skyscraper district.
Club de Padel ManchesterClub de Padel is at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers
As for that new top-secret location opening later this year – they’re promising an ‘indoor and outdoor space in an incredible location, featuring an expanded padel experience, high-end wellness and social spaces, and a year-round programme of events’.
Club de Padel founders said in a statement today: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built here in Manchester — bringing padel to the city centre for the first time and introducing tens of thousands of people to the sport during our time on Deansgate.
“But this site was never meant to be permanent, and we’ve been limited in what we can build here, so the time is right to move on, grow and improve.
“We’ve learned a huge amount from our time in Manchester and from opening our second club in Sheffield last year, and we’re excited to reveal the locations of our new sites — including the new Manchester club — and begin the next phase.
“In the meantime, we want to thank everyone who has made this club so special, and invite them to enjoy a free game of padel on us.”
Club de Padel will close to begin its Manchester relocation on 14 January.
You can book a free hour of padel between 9 and 14 January, through the usual Playtomic system – you’ll be refunded for your booking in full on arrival.
‘Big John’ is bringing his ‘BOSH’ bingo to Manchester
Danny Jones
Attention, all you ‘Big John’ lovers, the man himself is coming to Manchester this year for his very own ‘BOSH Bingo’ show.
Excessively large takeaway order not included*
That’s right, ‘Big John’ Fisher has gone from being a viral sensation famous for eating shedloads of Chinese and saying that one catchphrase to hosting his very own live bingo tour.
Even by his standards, his announcement video was an eye-catching one, to say the least – and we expect the event itself to be equally hilarious.
— big john the boshfather (@Johnfis08605918) January 7, 2026
For anyone somehow unfamiliar with ‘The Boshfather’, there isn’t a single sentence that isn’t completely accurate, and that doesn’t sum up pretty much everything you need to know about the man, the myth, the legend.
Besides his son, Johnny Fisher Jr., being an aspiring boxer and fellow influencer on the side, as well as having appeared on Newsnight to talk about the UK’s multiculturalism being what makes this ‘Great Britain’ (legend), his legacy will very much be written online and on the back of a take-out menu.
Or will it?…
Riding the back of his growing popularity and being quite literally the physical representation of a British bulldog, he’s now preparing to do live shows all over the country.
Set up at the start of the New Year, the 51-year-old will be heading to Manchester city centre and more throughout 2026 for his debut BOSH Bingo tour.
Visiting 12 locations in total, he is promising “rave intervals, on stage competitions, ‘bosh’ prizes and, of course, a sprinkle of chicken balls for good measure.”
Put simply, not only the chaos of everyone’s favourite Bongo’s, “This is not your average bingo night, it’s BOSH BINGO!”
Sounds ridiculous… We’re SO there.
Coming to The Grosvenor on Oxford Road on 21 February, before heading to the likes of Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield, just to name a few, you can grab your tickets right HERE.
Let’s just say there’s some very silly but nevertheless fun and fantastic stuff happening in town this year.
Emily Sergeant -
1st March 2024 
