The UK’s biggest chicken wing festival is making a grand return to Manchester once again in a couple of weeks time.
But this year, it’s taking over a brand-new location.
After several successful years in our city, Wing Fest is back to pay homage to one of the world’s favourite dishes later this month, and will be celebrating the festival’s 10th anniversary by championing independent food traders from across the UK, who’ll all be gathering under one roof to compete against each other and showcase their culinary talents.
Taking over the iconic Victoria Baths, just outside Manchester city centre, from Friday 20 – Sunday 22 September, Wing Fest Manchester will be divided into different evening and afternoon sessions this year, which means less time waiting and more time eating wings.
Organisers are hoping this new structure will make a “more seamless festival experience”.
Anyone heading down to Wing Fest this year is being told to expect “profound poultry eating”, live music, axe throwing, and beer and bourbon drinking of “epic proportion”.
Festivalgoers can also expect a “seriously saucy” lineup of traders for 2024 too, as local favourites Honey Buns are confirmed to be there, alongside loads of national award-winners from further afield.
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As always, all the traders at this year’s festival will be competing to win your vote and guarantee their spot in the Hall of Flame – with chicken wing fans having the opportunity to cast their votes across categories like ‘Best Buffalo Wing’, ‘Best Wild Wing’, Best BBQ Wing’, and more.
There’s also some epic eating competitions on the lineup too, as well various BBQ demonstrations from some of the best in the business.
Wing Fest returns to Manchester this month in a brand-new location / Credit: Wing Fest UK (via Facebook)
Of course, the UK’s hottest wing challenge, the Lava Wing Challenge – which is renowned for the carnage it causes – will be back for 2024, and as it usually does, you can expect it to get “seriously heated” among competitors, while the Flying Goose Wing Eating Competition sees entrants compete against each other to see who can eat the most chicken wings in the fastest time.
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Wing Fest 2024 will take over Victoria Baths from Friday 20 – Sunday 22 September, and tickets are now on sale, setting you back £22.50 each.
Tickets include a Wing Fest signature trucker hat, axe throwing, all entertainment, competitions, and live music, and you can get your hands on them here.
Featured Image – Wing Fest UK (via Facebook)
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Prestigious Edinburgh TV Festival to move to Manchester for first time in 50 years
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester will become the new host city for the TV Festival from 2027 onwards it was announced today.
For the first time in five decades, following an extensive consultation and competitive bidding process – which was launched in 2025 – the prestigious festival is set to move from its home in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to our region from 2027 onwards, beating out other major northern cities like Newcastle in the process.
As part of a UK-wide strategic review into the event’s long-term future, the Festival’s board of directors say the review was undertaken in order to ‘examine how the TV Festival could continue to grow’ amid increasing challenges around accessibility, affordability, and sustainability across the television industry.
Greater Manchester‘s ‘successful and comprehensive’ bid included commitments around affordability, infrastructure, industry partnership, and long-term growth potential.
Plans include holding the Festival in locations in the newly developed St. John’s creative and cultural district.
“Greater Manchester presented a vision for the Festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,” commented Campbell Glennie, who is the CEO of the TV Festival and The TV Foundation.
“This means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the Festival as well as the cost of passes.
“The city reflects the expanding ambition of the UK television industry, while still offering the scale, connectivity and unique cultural identity needed for an event of this significance – it gives us the strongest platform to grow the Festival’s reach and impact in the years ahead.”
Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, said being chosen as TV Festival hosts is ‘brilliant news’ for Greater Manchester, adding: “It speaks to the growth, success and strength of our screen sector in the city region and the strong partnerships and talent we have here.”
The final Edinburgh edition of the TV Festival will take place this August, and dates and further details for the TV Festival in 2027 will be shared later this year.
Featured Image – PickPik
What's On
Spend summer in space as 30ft rocket ship arrives at Science and Industry Museum next month
Emily Sergeant
Get ready to spend the summer in space, as Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has announced its summer events programme.
And it’s full of free interactive events and activities to get involved with.
As the temperatures rise, schools across Greater Manchester get ready to break up for summer, and parents and carers gear up to entertain the little ones, the Science and Industry Museum has just announced its summer events programme – with some new space-themed activities on the lineup for the first time.
It’s time to embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Solar System, as families can blast off on a journey packed with hands-on experiences and cosmic fun.
Science and Industry Museum has announced its summer events programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
From live space shows and giant rockets, to tinkering activities Martian discovery trails, and the chance to visit the blockbuster exhibition Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos if you haven’t already, budding astronauts are in for a summer to remember.
By far one of the stand-out free events this summer is the arrival of 30-foot-tall rocket ship, Skybolt 2 – hosted by Manchester-based aerospace company, Starchaser – giving visitors the chance to revel at the real-life space craft and meet the team behind the rocket.
Designed to reach speeds of up to 3200mph, Skybolt 2 first flew in September 2017 and still displays some visible marks from its landing.
There’ll also be a new twist on the classic seaside puppet show, as artist Solar Sister brings space stories to life during interactive walkabout performances alongside an astronaut puppet companion.
Little Mancs can even get involved with draw-a-long workshops, take on space-inspired LEGO challenges, and even turn everyday items into instruments by joining a junk percussion jam inspired by space waste.
Then, on Wednesday 12 August, rocket activities will be swapped for a special event to mark the upcoming solar eclipse.
Expect live interactive shows, demonstrations, spectacular images of the Sun disappearing on giant screens, as well opportunities to discover more about this rare celestial event.
Science and Industry Museum’s Director, Sally MacDonald, said free and affordable experiences are ‘more essential than ever’ during the summer holidays.
“Our summer programme will offer families memorable days out to enjoy together, giving them the opportunity to explore the universe without even leaving Manchester,” she added.
The summer events programme will be running at the Science and Industry Museum from Saturday 18 July through to Tuesday 1 September, and you can find out more here.
Emily Sergeant -
4th September 2024 
