The award-winning Bolton Food and Drink Festival is returning this bank holiday weekend for its 20th year in the town.
For the last two decades years, Bolton Food and Drink Festival has been taking over the Greater Manchester town for August bank holiday weekend, fusing street food, drinks, music, and entertainment for the whole family to feast on – with the event attracting more than half a million visitors in previous years.
And 2025 is no different… in fact, it’s set to be bigger and better than ever before, as the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary.
This year, iconic TV chef, Marco Pierre White, will make his festival debut, and event favourite James Martin returns for impressive 15th year.
Both will be taking to the stage for live cooking demos and Q&As, while regional chefs from across the North West and beyond will also be serving up free live workshops, sharing their culinary know-how with festival-goers across all four days.
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The programme is packed with special events, including the return of the ever-popular Faulty Towers Dining Experience and the crowd-pleasing Sheer Luck Holmes murder mystery, plus a gala dinner on the Friday night.
Author, wine expert and presenter Helen McGinn, aka ‘Knackered Mother’, will also be hosting a wine tasting and afternoon tea in the town’s historic Albert Halls.
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Bolton Food and Drink Festival returns for its 20th anniversary this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Paul Heyes & BFDF
Visitors can experience a global selection of food, drink, and artisan crafts across the festival’s stalls, with outdoor bars and live music from the likes of 90s boy band East 17, and legendary disco and soul group Odyssey.
Families can enjoy free activities from Bolton Library and Museum and The Octagon, while roaming street performers bring added fun and entertainment throughout the town centre.
“Bolton Food and Drink Festival is the jewel in our cultural crown – a vibrant celebration of our town’s creativity, hospitality and community spirit,” commented Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub.
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“We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to experience everything Bolton has to offer.”
Bolton Food and Drink Festival is taking over Bolton town centre this bank holiday weekend, starting this Friday 22 August through to Monday 25 August.
Entry is FREE, although you can get tickets special events throughout the weekend online here.
Featured Image – Paul Hayes (via BFDF)
What's On
Gladiators Live Tour to make ‘triumphant’ return to Manchester on UK arena tour
Emily Sergeant
The Gladiators Live Tour will make a triumphant return in 2026.
Following its explosive debut in 2025 and overwhelming fan demand, the Gladiators Live Tour is set to head out on a UK tour later this year, bringing the iconic phenomenon back to arenas nationwide for an electrifying new run of shows, and making a stop off in Manchester, of course.
Audiences will, once again, have the chance to experience the action-packed spectacle featuring the stars of the hit BBC reboot series on an epic scale.
The 2025 live tour thrilled audiences nationwide, selling over 200,000 tickets and proving the arena spectacular is ‘bigger, bolder, and more electrifying’ than ever, and that energy is only set to continue this year when the show returns to Manchester’s popular AO Arena.
GLADIATORS, READY!
Following its epic debut in 2025 the triumphant live show brings the energy to Manchester on 14 & 15 Nov!
This adrenaline-fuelled event sees the legendary Gladiators storm back into the arena to face fearless contenders in a heart-pounding live adaptation of the smash-hit television phenomenon.
Expect iconic fan-favourite events, breathtaking stunts, epic head-to-head battles and the unforgettable Eliminator finale.
Featuring stars from the hit BBC series, audiences are being told to expect a truly immersive, high-octane experience, as arenas are transformed into modern gladiatorial battlegrounds complete with purpose-built sets, spectacular lighting, and cinematic staging.
The Gladiators Live Tour 2026 kicks off in Aberdeen on 10 October, before heading to other major cities like Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, as well as northern locations like Leeds and Newcastle, and of course, Manchester’s AO Arena for two nights on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November.
Tickets officially go on sale this Friday 27 March, with two shows per day available, and you can grab them when they go live here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
An official and completely FREE Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026
Danny Jones
Yes, last year’s newest and official Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026, promising more positive pre- and post-race vibes than the first time around.
Here’s hoping for some lovely sunshine to go along with the atmosphere on 19 April.
Set to host the city centre’s runners and spectators for just the second time, Circle Square’s Symphony Park will be home to the 2026 Manc Marathon fan park, complete with independent pop-ups, big screens to watch all the action on, plus plenty more.
Best of all, it’s completely free to enter all day long for participants and those of you cheering your loved ones along, as well as being an ideal all-ages spot for families to relax and enjoy.
Located just moments from the finish line, just outside the University of Manchester along Oxford Road Corridor, you simply follow it down towards the tall Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech buildings.
Circle Square itself hosts many events and activities all throughout the year, and they couldn’t resist getting back in on the raceday party once again, as more legends are set to take part than ever.
For context, 2025 saw more than 35,000 sign-ups, but this April is expected to see a whopping sold-out crowd exceeding 42,000 – a record number for the annual event.
With that in mind, finding a place to fit all of them and the countless fans who come along to cheer them on from the sidelines is paramount, so it’s a good job the Symphony Park x MCR Marathon fan zone will be open from 9am on the day.
Here are some more scenes from the last edition:
Credit: Jody Hartley (supplied)
Although more are set to be revealed nearer the time, visitors can expect “a lively schedule of entertainment, food and drink pop-ups, family-friendly activities and special offers from our community of independent businesses and brands.”
Set to close around 5pm as the hordes of runners will doubt either head home for a long bath, leg rub or straight to the pub for their victory pints, we can assure you lots of time will be spent on the square.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2025 
