Mary Ellen McTague’s The Creameries has teamed up with Platt Fields Market Garden to host an autumnal food and wine fair down on their allotment in south Manchester.
Bringing together some of Manchester’s best-loved restaurants, as well as local wine importers, brewers and growers for one day only, the fair will celebrate locally-grown, seasonal produce at its finest – with plenty of time to cook, eat, drink and chat throughout the day.
With food being cooked from The Creameries, Isca Wines, Erst and Things Palace, there’ll be plenty of delicious hot and cool dishes to sample.
As for drinks, local importers Under The Bonnet Wines will be in attendance with a selection of wines from small growers in Europe, Chile and the UK.
The Market Garden has become a bit of a hub for foodies, and the Autumn Fair is definitely one for your list – bringing down some esteemed Manchester restauranteurs / Image: Platt Fields Market Gardens
Further drinks on the day will come from Indigo Wines, The Creameries team and Where The Light Gets In, with the latter sending down general manager James Galton to whip up some top tier cocktails for those in attendance.
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And on top of all that, there’ll also be a host of DIY workshops and tastings taking place throughout the day plus DJ sets from top vinyl-selector Living Room Dance Club and underground Manchester crew That Amazing Thing.
For those that don’t know, Platt FIeld Market Garden is a community market garden housed in an old, disused bowling green. The space has been given new life by growers, transformed into a community garden with fresh produce now on sale every Saturday morning.
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Local importers Under The Bonnet Wines will be in attendance with a selection of wines from small growers in Europe, Chile and the UK / Image: Under The Bonnet Wines
Created by Manchester Urban Diggers, who work to address food poverty in the city, it’s both practical and pleasurable – offering a calm space to escape the madness of city life and reconnect with nature, as well as being somewhere where you can physically put crops in the ground.
The garden has also become really popular with local foodies, who tend to queue up not just for the boxes of fresh vegetables but also for the chance to get other locallcy-made bits, including occasional preserves from Isca wines and hot sauces from Lorcan Kan’s Things Palace.
Tickets for the autumnal fair are on sale now, priced at £40 a head for the full day or £25 for a half. These include either ten or five pounds worth of tokens to exchange for food, drink and workshops at the fair – so you’re covered for the whole day pretty much.
Additional tokens will also be available to purchase on site should you wish to top up.
The fair will help raise funds for MUD and Eat Well MCR, both of whom work to eradicate food poverty in Manchester. There is a £5 discount for anyone who’s unwaged which can be applied using the code UNWAGED at the check out.
Taking place from 11 am – 7 pm on Monday, 4 October 2021, there will be some rain cover on the green (the main area) and in the Froghouse where the workshops will be running. This is still Manchester after all.
Chester Zoo is staying open ‘after hours’ this summer so you can see the nocturnal animals
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is keeping its gates open late into the evening across two special weeks this summer.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo has, once again, announced the return of Afterglow for the summer, which is known and loved for offering visitors the rare opportunity to explore the zoo and its 30,000 animals after hours… but for the first time, daytime visitors can now enjoy the hugely popular event without needing a separate ticket.
Unlike previous years, visitors will no longer need to leave Chester Zoo‘s grounds and return with a separate event ticket.
Instead, guests can spend the entire day exploring the zoo before enjoying Afterglow‘s evening programme, all as part of a standard admission ticket.
Chester Zoo’s is opening ‘after hours’ again this summer so you can see all the animals at sunset / Credit: Chester Zoo
Afterglow offers you the unique chance to encounter some of the world’s most endangered species during golden hour – which, for many animals, is one of their most active periods.
From 3pm until 8pm each day, giant elephant, giraffe, and peacock puppets will welcome visitors into the zoo, while life-sized dinosaurs roam the site with theatrical performances and interactive encounters.
The programme also features giant bubble displays, comedy street theatre, fairground rides, and live music performances.
A number of special experiences designed just for adults are on the lineup this year too, including quizzes in Chester Zoo’s very own pub and an adults-only silent disco inside one of the zoo’s oldest animal habitats.
Chester Zoo’s Afterglow returns for 2026, running on exclusive dates between 31 July – 16 August from 3pm until 8pm, with tickets now on sale ranging in price depending on whether or not you buy a full-day ticket or just for the afternoon into evening slot.
And the best bit? Every ticket helps fund conservation projects protecting threatened species in more than 20 countries.
They’re already selling fast, so ook your tickets online in advance here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
What's On
Bewitching Christmas light trail Northern Lights will return to Heaton Park this year
Daisy Jackson
The festive light trail that proved to be a smash hit last winter will make a return to Manchester this year.
Northern Lights has just announced a major return to Heaton Park, with a brand-new Christmas Time Machine theme.
The dazzling mile-long light trail will transform the park into a wonderland with 14 different installations, plus selfie spots along the route.
And there’ll be a limited Kids Go Free offer on select dates, as well as inclusive evenings with reduced capacity and lower audio levels.
Northern Lights attracted more than 100,000 visitors when it made its Heaton Park debut last winter, and received rave reviews across the board.
This year, A Christmas Time Machine will take place from 19 November all the way through to the end of the year, inviting visitors to step back into their favourite festive memories with a nostalgic collection in installations.
Original soundscapes, spectacular new illuminations, and even a marshmallow zone will bring the fully accessible trail to life.
Northern Lights is returning to Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Visitors will walk along Candy Cane Lane, admire a giant neon slinky, and ogle at shimmering nutcrackers.
There’ll also be vintage fairground rides, cosy festive pit stops, and an expanded Christmas Village with artisan food and drink producers from across the region.
Demand is expected to be high for this year’s festivities, with Early Bird tickets just released to get you the best value prices of the year.
Emma St.Croix, Senior Marketing Manager at From The Fields, said: “The response to Northern Lights Manchester last year exceeded all of our expectations.
“The warmth and enthusiasm from visitors made it incredibly special for our team, and we’re delighted to be returning to Heaton Park with something completely new.
“Since January, we’ve been reimagining every part of the experience. A Christmas Time Machine takes visitors on a journey through the festive moments that stay with us long after the decorations come down. Nodding to the traditions we return to year after year, the nostalgia of Christmases gone by, and the excitement of creating new memories together.
“We can’t wait to welcome visitors back and share this next chapter of Northern Lights with families, friends and loved ones from across the region.”
Northern Lights will also host dedicated inclusive evenings on Wednesday 2 and Wednesday 9 December. Visitor numbers will be reduced by 75%, with lower audio levels throughout the trail to create a calmer environment that may be preferable for some neurodivergent visitors and those who benefit from a more relaxed experience.
Northern Lights Manchester tickets
Kids Go Free offer – available on selected Off-Peak Early Bird dates until 31 August (or until allocation is exhausted. Use code KIDSLIGHTS before selecting tickets to unlock.
Early Bird Pricing
Peak tickets – from £17.25 including transaction fee
Off-peak tickets – from £13.75 including transaction fee
Georgina Pellant -
23rd September 2021 
