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.

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!

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.

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

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!!

Lytham is that kind of festival that attracts second-tier talent. You'll see young artists on their…read moreway up and legends who haven't maintained legendary status who can't fill stadiums anymore. We went because my stepmother is a huge fan of Jonathan Antoine. Luckily for me, the wildly underrated legend Billy Ocean played earlier in the week. Both shows were great. It's really built to be a local festival ... or Brits who have driven in ... having your own chairs and and picnic setup is VERY necessary. Go early to get a good area as people lay out and get comfortable. I also recommend bringing your own food (which many do) as there are limited choices there. There is a lot of soft lawn, so I imagine watching during a rain is unpleasant. We had great weather, so good luck if the rains come!

As soon as the sun starts popping out again after the winter, it's time to think about what music…read morefestivals you'll be going to this year. If you'd like to keep things fairly local, then I can recommend Whatfest as a newly emerging music festival in Cheshire. For such a new festival they bagged a surprisingly high profile line-up last year with the likes of The Bluetones and Dodgy performing. Unfortunately, it was hit pretty hard by the weather, with torrential rain turning the site into a quagmire and affecting walk up attendances on the second day of the festival especially. Those that did make it through the mud were treated to two great stages of music, DJs, food and fairground rides on a glorious site. However, this shouldn't detract from how well this festival was run, the strength of the line up and quality of the sound on the main stage. A new festival that is only going to get better and better in future years. Go check it out in 2010.

I have been wanted to come here long time ago yesterday I finally managed to do that! Why? Because…read moreBurger and lobster is visiting! Last time when they came here I was in London so I missed it, but I wont allow myself miss this again! Brought a friend with me and got there around 6:15, still early, a lot seats were still available and no massive queue there. Which was a good thing. After the friendly staff handed over my lobster roll I couldnt wait to dig in! The brioche bread toasted with butter was delicious, along with some fresh lobster and chive. Bang. I'm in heaven! Well its not as good as what I had in their proper restaurant since this only costs half of their regular menu price. Less lobster was put in, however the quality was good though. Heard they're going to open a venue here wish it will be soon! I really love the atmosphere here in FFF, brings all friends and street food lovers together and creates a chilling surrounding. Will visit again!

First time here with three friends- wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Hadn't even been…read moreinside the Great Northern Warehouse before! If you don't know it's there it wouldn't be easy to spot- you take the escalators up inside and see the sign for Friday Food Fight on the right hand side. Inside its a giant warehouse type building with high ceilings and long wooden benches. Near the entrance is the bar on the left serving beers, wines, cocktails, cider etc. On the far wall you'll find the street food options. Arrived about 9ish and it was in full swing- DJ playing tunes and long lines for all the food. Personally I can't eat that much fast food- it's all very heavy and deep fried, with lots of sauces etc. I queued up for Vietshack because I like Vietnamese food and they had a healthy 'prawn till dusk' option- prawn crackers topped with slaw and king prawns- was really tasty. Had to wait a really long time because this stand is so popular. I'd say if you don't want to wait around, go early or late. Other options that night were Yakumama, Bangers and Bacon, Splendid Kitchen, Burger & Lobster and The Ginger Tart for desserts. It reminded me of my student days at Leeds having drinks in the student union. Full of hipsters/students- dress casual and bring a coat in winter as can be a little chilly venturing outside to the toilets. Also sort of reminded me of a German beer hall- same vibe with the long communal tables. It makes it really easy to get chatting to new people and make some new friends.

I have been to Leeds Festival about five times and it's one of my favourite times of the year! The…read morefestival takes part on August bank holiday weekend, with an early entry ticket permitting access to the campsite as early as the Wednesday, and the festival ending on Monday morning. The music is on on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, usually from about midday till 11pm ish. Not only is there music but also comedians and sometimes films are shown. There are also various DJ sets/music tents on an evening as well as different bars-it all varies year on year. The festival area consists of different campsite areas, the carparks, and then the arena itself. There's quite a lot of camping space however if you don't get there that early it can be difficult to get a decent space. The arena contains all the different stages, loads of food vans/counters, bars, and rides. The cost of Leeds Fest goes up every year but it's about £200 now for a weekend of camping and seeing loads of bands and things. It's not bad value but it is creeping up a lot. I love Leeds fest as it's a fun weekend full of music, friends, camping, drinking, and laughing.

An amazing music festival that you should definately go to if you live up North! It's a great…read moreatmosphere and always gets good bands in their line up! It's not that far from Leeds City Centre, but traffic can be well bad so get there early as poss. I saw soooooo many people just chilling out on their bonnets of their cars this year in the queue to get there, but then again that's part of the fun!! It's over £100 for the weekend ticket, can't remember how much more, but it's well worth it! Don't go for just a day unless you HATE camping, because you pay quite a bit more to just go for a day and the music alone is worth staying for!!