Amazing music, Alcohol, Tents, Adrenalin pumping Rides, 60,000 people from all over the country,…read morewomen in tiny shorts and floral prints, shirtless men and gorgeous sunshine --- These ingredients definitely make up for a FANTASTIC festival! What more could one possibly ask for? This was my first ever festival in this country and I must say Parklife you were incredible! I have always been more of a rock & roll girl but after this I have started to love hip hop and EDM! Incredible dj's playing all over and some of the best bands ever! Jurassic 5 reminded me of my teenage days and I danced like a mentalist like everyone else there; Rudimental was absolutely insane as well and the crowd was singing aloud every song (woof what a feeling to be in that crowd); Disclosure was equally crazy getting the crowd all excited even though the heat was scorching! Besides the big names there were so many independent artists from all over the country who blew my mind, there was this one reggae band who covered some really popular rock numbers in reggae style -- Ama-zing! I am gutted that I cant recall their name, blame the heat and alcohol for that! The downsides like every festival included no signal, 3G and long queues --- but hey! that is expected. Verdict : I had a fabulous time and I can't wait to go back next year again!

Advertised (on their website) as Europe's biggest tribute and new acts festival, this is the best…read morefestival I have ever been too. Don't be put off by the tribute side of it, I know you can get some pretty bad tributes but at Glastonbudget they make an effort to get the best. I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the Dead hot chillis more than I enjoyed the real act (at Earls court) - they have so much energy, and you actually have a chance to get to the front of the audience. The new acts are also great, they get some great new acts and it is fab to have a chance to see so many! Value for money is fantastic - ticket prices at the moment are just less than £50 for the whole weekend including camping. Another thing the festival prides itself on is keeping food and drink prices reasonable, so prices are similar to those in a pub. They serve a selection of real ales and ciders which were very popular with the lads in our group. The only complaint I have is about the weather - it rained badly on the Sunday 2 years ago!! They did improve things a lot last year by adding two music tents, one in the camp field and one in the main arena, the rain wasn't too bad but at least they were prepared if it had been. This event is getting bigger year after year, I would highly recommend it (and have been to all my friends!!)

This is a two day festival in the beautiful location of tittlesworth water. with live music and…read morecrafts this festival is perfect for young children. When the sun sets in a haze over the water it really is somthing else! Its a shame the was no bar but i expect it was becuase it was so close to the water and they couldnt or decided not to get a licence, this maybe added with the family/relaxed atmosphere. This for some made it unique. Alcohol was still alouded on site and music hit on till late. music included hippy scar and a lively big haired punk set. a very little acoustic tent hit out niche tunes behind the hill in the day. A plesant day

So what has to be said about the National Winter Ales Festival…read more CAMRAs involved There's Ale, from all over Europe It's in Winter It's a festival of sorts (no wellies or tents though...sorry if that's your thing) that about covers it I think thanks for reading the review... I jest, of course I shall not end there. The Sheridan Suite is an odd location, from the outside it kinda looks like a warehouse, from the inside its a giant conference centre type building so it's filled with whatever's there, which for this means walls of beer kegs, casks n barrels. behind lines of bar tops as far as the eye can see...well as far as the walls allow. It's not really expensive to get in, depend on the day it varies between £4-5, with a pound knocked off if you're a Camra member. At this point you have the choice of buying a program it's an extra pound and I'd recommend it. The program contains all the beers on offer at the event with little descriptions of them, at the bars there are no descriptions so it can be worth getting to have a rough idea what you're after (unless like me your just happy to know what's a ale, stout, porter etc and don't need to know anymore) Glasses are £2.50 a pop, you can get the deposit back at the end if you want but personally I like to keep the glass (it's branded with the event and the year etc) there are full pint glasses but I prefer the half pint cos I think it looks better, plus I actually go with the third pint measure of the beers because there is so much I want to try. It's turning into a bit of a Toby inadvertent skill of mine whether for Good or Evil remains to be seen, but I just choose beers at random, I know what I like to drink but I see the festival as a chance to just try whatever gets poured so while it's a bit beyond eeni meeni minee moe I literally get to the front of the bar and pick the first beer infront of my face... some how I've manged to hone this inadvertent skill of picking the strongest beer at the bar. Saturday I started my day on a 10% beer, second bar 8%, third 7% and then after that 6's and 7's for the rest of the day... (maybe next year I will just start with eeni, or toss a coin) Beer ranges in price, strong beer costs more obviously, and English beer is the cheapest (and most numerous) usually around £1 - £1.30 per third, the stronger stuff can be up to £4.50 for a half. So I would say if you drink at places like Port Street then you'll be grand with the prices, if you wanna keep the budget low I'd stick thirds of the English beer. I haven't had the food there, but friends who've been going longer have and they strongly recommend avoiding, so personally I just grub up before I get there which considering you'll probably heading from the city centre that's not difficult to do.

CAMRA supporters, real ale drinkers, Port Street Beer House bar propper-uppers, folks who like…read moreflagons of German lager... This is the place you want to be coming to. I was lucky enough to attend this year's NWAF on a Saturday afternoon when I could while away a couple of hours sampling weird, wonderful and thirst-whettingly wicked beers, ciders and perries. Genuinely it's so much fun to get involved with this veritable pick 'n' mix. So here's the deal for first-timers, as we were so kindly guided by Toby S here: http://www.yelp.co.uk/topic/manchester-manchester-winter-ales-festival... You come along to what looks from the outside like an uninspiring building, the Sheridan Suite. Even our taxi driver told us that the food there ain't so pretty, but leave your preconceptions at the door - it's not about the coating, it's about the treats inside. You pick up a half-pint glass. Do not, again do not, presume that you're a hard-ass and grab a pint glass. You fool. Some of these beers are almost Brewdog percentage (like 8 or 9%) and you don't want to be downing a large amount of those. Plus, there are too many to try! The half pint this year is a proper little glass beer mug with the Winter Ales polar bear in pride of place and a handle for holding. You pay a deposit for it, and a la Manchester Christmas Markets, if you're willing to let your two fiddy go, you get an ace souvenir! One of the measures on the glass is a third, and this is perfectly adequate for sampling. We tried three different drinks in total, or if you count us as a group, around six... let's see, three German beers, then a very light Dandelion and Burdock beer that all three of us opted for. Oh. This ruined everything. If only we'd have had it at the end. It spoiled all the other beers for us. It was a mere 1% volume but it was delicious and sweet and tasted like cold cordial. Not for everyone, granted, but lush for us wussies. After that my exceptionally strong Scrumpy-esque pear cider didn't quite cut the mustard, and Chris M struggled with his apple concoction too. He, Amy W and I just wanted more of that 50p syrupy treat. Failures that we are. The food as Toby attested looks somewhat odd, and when they're jacking up the price of Scampi Fries to a quid, heavens be! But thankfully we were having food afterwards, and as a pure drinking experience, it's really interesting. You'll learn a lot, it might not be the most comfortable setting (lack of seats and heat turned up to eleven), but it's a voyage of discovery. And another thing, ladies. You know how you're used to dealing with queues for the loos? There are so few women at these things that you'll normally enter an empty row of cubicles. Amy W and I couldn't quite believe it! This is definitely worth a punt and I'd happily go again, that's for sure. I'll make sure I line my stomach extra next time, and make room for more D&B beer!

A Carefully Planned Festival (#4) is apparently named ironically but it seemed pretty perfectly…read moreplanned to me. The website is excellent (with links to clashfinder so you can figure out how to see everything you want) and there were helpful paper schedules with timetables and act descriptions as well. A day ticket was £10 in advance, £12.15 on the day, weekend was £15/£18 and picking up the wristband from Gullivers was completely painless. Considering I saw about 11 acts in 7 hours, that's great value. There's a huge range of music from metal to electronica to singer songwriters and the website helpful sorts acts by genre, provides links to their music online and highlights some of the organiser's personal favourites. The venues are all very good as well. My personal favourite was The Castle Hotel (Uranium Lake and Sam Brooke, both brilliant) as it's a beautiful space and the sound was excellent. Gullivers (Jo Mango, amazing) was also a good space but a little warm. Soup Kitchen has an even bigger & better space but wtf is that smell? Whiskey Jar and Cord have similar tiled basement rooms but Cord was really a squeeze for what was one of my favourite acts of the evening, Jo Rose. Mint Lounge isn't the most beautiful space but is good for bigger crowds and they have Coke in glass bottles. Kraak likewise doesn't have much atmosphere, it's probably my least favourite of the spaces but was a bit quieter so good for a bit of a breather (math rock notwithstanding). The crowds weren't mega friendly (hipsters...) but there were no dicks either. Overall, highly highly recommended and I already look forward to next year! If you happen to be reading this on Sunday 19 October 2014, stop immediately and head straight to the NQ to experience for yourself!

I only found out about this because of Facebook,and i'm glad that I did!…read more Apart from the fact that Holmfirth is a really lovely little place,the event itself was really bloody good! Set over 5 zones dotted around the centre the Festival really was a food and drink lovers dream.All of the stall holders were friendly and passionate about their wares and they were all quick off the mark where samples were concerned. We bought a gorgeous chicken dumpling from the Jamaican stall,a beautiful buffalo burger,a stunnungly good veg indian platter and a couple of wicked seek kebabs (All of those eaten at the Festival) To take home we bought,4 pies,some soup,some bread,some cheese,a mars bar crunch and 3 litres of small batch cider. A good Festival and day? You bet it was!!

I am currently loving the Manchester Jazz Festival. Not that I'm a big jazz listener, though I can…read morebe found frequenting Matt & Phred's from time to time, but the whole atmosphere at this event is just great. The main hub is located on Albert Square, with food and drink a-plenty. Understand why I like it so much now? Working just across the road, I have been for three days in a row - and planning on going for more. We've been just for drinks, but also for food, and every experience has been the same. Laid back, not too damaging on the wallet, and just plain tasty. The bar is a bit slow on service, with some of the bartenders seeming as if they've been drafted in from every role but bartending, but once you're sat in the sun spot of Manchester it's hard to stay annoyed. They take cards behind the bar, which is very handy. Despite serving wine by the bottle, you can't take this out on to the square - wine in a pint glass anyone? Although I understand the need for this rule, they haven't thought it through and provided anything other than an empty Pimm's jug or pint glasses. The food is from Woody's pizza, street wraps, and Chaophraya. I've had the pizza - £6 for plain, £7 for ones with toppings - which totally hit the spot after a slightly heavier night than intended the day before. I'll certainley be trying the thai, reasonably priced at circa £5 for a main portion. Albert Square is the perfect hub for this kind of event, and this is a great taster for the upcoming Food and Drink Festival.

The Manchester Jazz Festival is a great event currently being held in Albert Square. There is a…read morefestival pavilion stage where jazz bands of all genres play for a small ticket price. There are also food stalls selling high quality food including Chaporaya and Woody's pizza. There is a reasonably stocked bar but be aware the service is quite slow and lots of seating in the form of wooden benches. The atmosphere was great when we went down there to watch the Jonathan Silk Big Band. We thoroughly enjoyed the concert and it was well worth the £5 entry fee to watch 20 or so talented jazz musicians play some fabulous music. I hope this event comes back to Manchester next year.

Organised by the Trafford and Hulme branch of CAMRA in the surrounds of St Clement's Church in…read moreChorlton, this proved to be an exceptionally popular and well-organised festival. Though a sizeable queue had formed before the gates opened at 6pm, their fast-track ticket booth (where for £10 you received your hand stamp, glass, programme and £4 worth of beer tokens) meant you could hit the first bar within moments of entry. Additional tokens were available in £5 & £10 denominations from the beer token tent. There were four bars within the venue: the World Beers Bar and Out of Town Bar (both inside the church building), the Manchester Brewers' Bar and Traditional Cider & Perry bar within the grounds. Lots of seating under the cover of marquees (some could have done with a jet-washing it has to be said), but they proved very useful when the few hours of dry mildish summer weather was interrupted by rain. Food offerings were provided by some top street food traders. On the Friday session there were All About Pies, Fire & Salt BBQ and Tampopo. These were payment by cash only. Entertainment came in the form of Twisted Tubes, an excellent local band performing pop and jazz covers with their saxaphone, trumpets, trombone, sousaphone and percussion instruments. There were some minor annoyances - the queues for food were long at times given there were only three stalls for 100s of people; none of the volunteers seemed to be on rubbish duty so food trays were blowing everywhere or being left piled on tables; and there were no refunds on beer glasses (if you didn't want to keep them). Overall it was a really enjoyable night, more so for the fact we bagged a table early on. The beer selection was extensive and it was great to have a bar dedicated to local breweries. Tip: any unused value on your tokens at the end of the night can be returned to the token tent for a refund or you can hand it in as a donation to the church.

Great event, however you can find yourself in an ultra long queue waiting for one of the food…read morestalls. For example one of the pizza stand queues we waited 30mins before giving up. Was also good to see the security staff bopping along to some of the music being played by one of the bands.

How do I nearly miss this every year (now in its 10th). Great live music and performance and great…read morefood in a safe festival atmosphere. Global feel in the heart of the city.

The UK's largest Gin Festival returned to Manchester at the beautiful Victoria Baths. The last time…read moreI was here was coincidentally for another booze-related festival, IndyManBeerCon (http://www.indymanbeercon.co.uk/) so I knew the setting was going to be an impressive one. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and sell out incredibly quickly so don't delay when they become available for purchase. On arrival you're handed your festival glass (which you can keep as a memento) and a small brochure full of information on the 80 different gins you can try. You need drinks tokens to buy the gin (the bars don't accept cash) and you can get these at the desk inside the main hall. These worked out at £5 per drink and included Fever Tree tonic and a garnish. As we did, most people opted to buy a card of four drinks for £20, but you can buy fewer tokens if you like. There are four bars down both sides of the main hall (labelled A to D) and they mirror each other so two of every bottle is available to ease queuing times. I'd never tried a fruit gin before but the Rhubarb & Ginger from Edinburgh Gin Distillery was the best of all the gins I tried that evening. Gorgeous served neat and delicate with tonic added. I'm definitely buying a bottle! There's live entertainment in the food hall and a series of talks from gin industry experts in some of the smaller side rooms but we didn't attend any of those. One of the highlights was the Meet the Distillers area inside another of the pool rooms. Here about ten or so different gin makers had stalls where you could chat to them about their wares, try some samples and learn about where you could purchase a bottle or get a drink of their product in Manchester. It was a fantastic event to attend; we learned a lot more about one of our favourite tipples and we'll absolutely be back here next year with our gin-loving friends.

What an amazing event. I really enjoyed my afternoon at the Manchester Gin Festival yesterday…read more Tickets for this event sold out in days so we felt lucky to be there. We were greeted by a friendly gin enthusiast who advised us on which gins to try, we also received a stylish gin festival glass as a keepsake. The event was organised over 3 rooms. The first being made up of 4 bars serving loads of different gins. You had to peruse the extensive programme to decide what to try and buy their token cards at £20 for 4 tokens so you could get a drink. A particularly good find for me was the rhubarb and ginger gin which I could happily drink by the bucket load it was that good. The next room was the tasting room where for free you could try a selection of different gins and listen to talks by their makers. I loved the sloe gin and the blackcurrant gin and it was good to taste a wide sample of high quality gins. The final room was the master class room where you could listen to in-depth talks about how gin is made and its history. There were also gin based cocktails on offer too. All this amongst the truly stunning and historic setting of Victoria Baths which couldn't be beaten as a venue.