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

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!!)

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!

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.

Every late Oct/early Nov it's Didsbury Beer Fest time - a place where magic really does happen…read more(well, lots of guys with beards pull rather good value beers from some top breweries from all over the UK) on a Thurs/Fri/Sat (possibly Sunday too, I can't remember...) If the truth be told this is probably my favourite beer fest in Manchester as it's so chilled out, only a few quid in and has an ultra relaxed vibe that can't be beaten. You always bump into friends you haven't seen for a while and it always gets the troops out in fill force. In fact there was about 15 of us (plus our little daughter) that went this year. Get there early to avoid missing out on your fave beers - and they also have a decent selection of food which although probably isn't the most 'gourmet-tastic' definitely does the job in soaking up the beer. A chip bap for a couple of quid sorted me out big style on this occasion!

The 2016 Didsbury Beer Festival is its 9th year, and visitors should not have been disappointed…read more Boasting over 100 beers and ciders, of various tastes, visitors have a lot of options. Not to mention all at a reasonable price, Most, if not all, drinks were under £4 for a pint, half that for half a pint, and a smaller price for 1/3. This gives visitors the perfect opportunity to sample many products the festival has to offer from breweries throughout the UK. I am personally prone to a good stout or wheat beer. The tent was superbly constructed and decorated, and created a great ambiance for the festivities. Other organisers should take note. My favourites samplings were the stout from Dunham Massey and the Dunkel Weizen from Geipel, which is a Didsbury brewer. Attending late on e Saturday afternoon, the atmosphere was extremely relaxed, and definitely family friendly; towards the evening, the festival got a lot busier, but not overwhelmingly so. This was my first visit, but i look forward to attending the tenth anniversary next year.

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.

I read on an informative framed poster in the local Wetherspoons that Chorlton used to have 3…read morecinemas. Now it has 0. For those of us without a car it can be a bit of a trek to Didsbury, the Trafford Centre or the Cornerhouse to catch a flick. Thank God for Chorlton Film Institute (and I suppose the man upstairs actually is partly to thank as it is located in St. Clement's Church.) Each month an arthouse film is shown. They span a very broad range from foreign films such as the wonderful Das Leben der Anderen, modern films such as Juno and old silent films such as Hitchcock's The Lodger. At £5 a time (including refreshments) this is cheaper than it would cost to go to any of Manchester's cinemas, and the institute does not make a profit from this. You don't need to be a member - turn up and pay on the door - simples. If you join the facebook group then you will automatically receive an invite to each screening. Such a fantastic idea. Just a shame that screenings are monthly and not weekly!