Good Morning Cheshire! 👋 

The Bank Holiday is here and Cheshire is packed with things to do: Creamfields shaking Daresbury, Tatton Park’s triple-bill (country fayre, cinema, bear trail), Jazz and Blues in Congleton, and family-friendly freebies from Frodsham to Crewe. Plenty to fill the long weekend - without draining the wallet.

In this week’s Cheshire Buzz:

• 🎧 Creamfields brings the big beats to Daresbury

• 🐑 Tatton triple: Country Fayre, outdoor cinema & bear-spotting trail

• 🎷 Town-wide grooves at Congleton Jazz & Blues

• 🦅 Bank-holiday double: Game & Country Fair + Classic Car Show

• 🧺 Family freebies: Frodsham picnic, Crewe-on-Sea & library colouring

• 💎 Hidden Gem: Lovell Quinta Arboretum’s peaceful tree haven

Let’s dive in!

🎉 What’s On In Cheshire

🎶 Creamfields
21-24 Aug, Daresbury
Dance music’s giant lands back on our doorstep; day and weekend tickets plus shuttle options available.
👉 Details

🐇 Alice in Wonderland: Walkabout for Kids
22 Aug, 10:00 & 11:15am, Grosvenor Park, Chester.
A 45-min interactive adventure perfect for under-10s. Other dates/times are available.
👉 Details

🐑 Summer of Adventure at the Farm (Final Day)
22 Aug, From 11am, Tatton Park Farm, Knutsford.
Get yourself over to the farm for hands-on demos, animals and summer fun before it wraps.
👉 Details

🚂 Making Tracks 200 (Exhibition) 
22 Aug, from 10am, Chester Cathedral
Marking 200 years since the first InterCity passenger train, model layouts and rail history. Other dates available until Sat 30 Aug.
👉 Details

✂️ Family Crafts @ Weaver Hall Museum
10:30am-3:30pm, Northwich
Free drop-in, make a masquerade mask for kids (final day of the two-day craft sessions).
👉 Details

🍹 Paint & Sip @ Warrington Market
22 Aug, 11am, Time Square.
A relaxed creative session - bring friends/family and get arty whilst having a few drinks!
👉 Details

🐏 Summer Country Fayre at the Farm
23-25 Aug, Tatton Park, Knutsford
Bank-holiday countryside fun with sheep racing, falconry displays, circus skills, crafts and “meet the animals,” plus daily highlights.
👉 Details

🎷 The Congleton Jazz & Blues Festival
23-24 Aug, 4-6pm, Congleton Town Centre)
A free, two-day town takeover for the festival’s 15th year with nearly 100 gigs across ~28 venues. Grab the free programme (download/collect in town) and venue-hop all weekend.
👉 Details

🧺 Picnic in the Park (Frodsham)
23 Aug, Castle Park (WA6 6SA)
Free family afternoon with live music, bouncy castles, face painting, games and a Fun Dog Show - bring a blanket and your own picnic.
👉 Details

🐾 Bark in the Park
23 Aug, from 10am (judging 12 noon), Peover Hall, near Knutsford
Big, friendly dog show with classes and family fun - bring your best paws and smiles.
👉 Details

✏️ Free Colouring Competition
23 Aug, 10:30-11:30am, Knutsford Library
Meet the author, freebies for every child and a chance to win Damson’s Friendship Wish.
👉 Details

🌱 Nantwich Summer Vegan Festival
23 Aug, 10:30am-4pm, Outdoor Market
Plant-based eats, bakes, crafts and charity stalls - good vibes guaranteed.
👉 Details

🎧 All Day Long - Daytime Party 30+
23 Aug, 2-9pm, Carriage Shed, Chester
Open-air club atmosphere with DJs you know and love. Last entry 4:30pm; sign up for ticket alerts.
👉 Details

🍔 Hoole Community BBQ
23 Aug, from 4pm, Hoole Community Centre, Chester
Live entertainment, games and family activities with plenty of BBQ favourites.
👉 Details

📼 Pass The Aux! Alternative 90s Night
23 Aug, 8pm-late, Alexander’s Live, Chester
Grunge to trip-hop with guest DJs all night. £5 OTD (free with Loud ’N’ Local ticket or student ID).
👉 Details

🦅 Cheshire Game & Country Fair
24-25 Aug, Tabley Showground, Knutsford
Arena displays, falconry, have-a-go country sports and food halls for all ages.
👉 Details

🚗 Cheshire Classic Car & Motorcycle Show
24-25 Aug, Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield
600+ classics, autojumble, live commentary and music in a stunning setting.
👉 Details

🎶 Fiesta on the Field
24 Aug, 1-10:30pm, Middlewich Cricket Club
Family-friendly one-day festival with top tribute acts, street-food vendors and a fully licensed bar.
👉 Details

🪩 The Garden Club - Over-30s Day Party
24 Aug, 3-10pm, Rumba, Nantwich
Balearic sunshine vibes, cocktails & club classics in the Cuban beer garden. Free entry.
👉 Details

🎶 MacFest 2025
24 Aug, 11am-4pm, New Routes Garden Centre, Victoria Park, Warrington
Relaxed bank-holiday mini-festival with live music, DJ and light refreshments - picnics welcome.
👉 Details

🤠 Cowboy Cookout with Live Music
24 Aug, from 2pm, The Star Inn, Lymm
BBQ on the grill and country tunes from Preston D Barnes; cowboy hats very welcome.
👉 Details

🎶 Blakemere Social: Motown (Final One!)
24 Aug, Blakemere Village, Northwich
Smooth Sunday soul with drinks, eats and a last dance of the season.
👉 Details

🔮 Psychic Show with Andy Jones
26 Aug, 7:30pm, White Hart Hotel, Hough, Crewe
Live readings and audience messages. £20 early bird / £22 standard.
👉 Details

🐻 We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Until 7 Sept, Tatton Park, Knutsford
A colourful sculpture trail with 8 bears in the Gardens and 2 at the Farm, pick up a free trail sheet at the gate. Save 10% by booking online. 👉 Details

📌 Quick Bites

🍿 Moonlight Flicks: Paddington in Peru - Mon 25 Aug, Grosvenor Park, Chester (8:15pm). Family-friendly outdoor cinema to round off the weekend. 👉 Details

🏖️ Discover Crewe-on-Sea - 23-25th Aug, Lyceum Square, Crewe. Free pop-up beach with deckchairs, crafts and performances (11am-4pm daily). 👉 Details

🌙 Night-time Wildlife Walk - 21, 28, 29th Aug, Quarry Bank, Wilmslow. Ranger-led evening stroll to spot owls and bats. 👉 Details

📡 Summer at Jodrell Bank - Extra family activities and trails run through 31 Aug at the UNESCO site; Royal Society Summer Science exhibits pop up 30-31 Aug. 👉 Details

🎬 Outdoor Cinema Cheshire (Tatton Park, Knutsford) - Sat 23-Mon 25 Aug: open-air films under the stars. Grease, Wicked, Encanto, Top Gun, Shrek & The Greatest Showman. Tip: bring a chair (unless VIP); picnics welcome; parking fees apply. 👉 Details 

🗓️ Dates for the diary

🧘🏼‍♀️ Mind, Body & Spirit Event
Sat-Sun 6-7th Sep, Stockport Masonic Guildhall
60+ exhibitors plus 50+ FREE talks, workshops & demos across three rooms. £6 day / £10 weekend in advance (add £1 on the door). Fully accessible; rear parking £3. 👉 Details

🍴 Nantwich Food Festival
Fri 29-Sun 31 Aug, Nantwich town centre
One of the UK’s biggest free-to-enter food fests with chef demos, live music stages and a record 200+ exhibitors expected, plan for big crowds.
👉 Details

✨ Space Safari Drone Light Show
Sat 6 Sept, from 5pm, Royal Cheshire County Showground, Tabley.
Expect 500+ eco-powered drones choreographed to music and narration (Michaela Strachan), plus fairground rides and a food village.
👉 Details

🎪 Happy Place Festival
Sat 30-Sun 31 Aug, Tatton Park, Knutsford
Fearne Cotton’s feel-good weekender of inspiring talks, live podcast recordings, yoga, sound healing, creative workshops and family-friendly zones, set in the parkland at Tatton. 👉 Details

🍽️ Local Spotlight: Picturedrome Food Hall (Macclesfield)

Macclesfield’s old 1911 Picturedrome cinema has been reborn as a buzzing food hall, communal tables, indie kitchens, great coffee and a proper “meet-you-there” vibe. It’s run by the team behind Altrincham Market/Mackie Mayor, so the curation’s tight and the atmosphere’s lively.

Drop in for breakfast through late evening (it’s walk-in friendly) and graze your way around multiple counters; finish with a glass from Reserve Wines at the on-site bar/shop.

Practical bits:

• Open: Tue-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-6pm (Mon closed).

• Where: 102-104 Chestergate, Macclesfield.

• More info/menus: @picturedromemacc / @reservewines

❤️ Why We Love It: A beautiful historic space with a modern, independent food line-up, easy, social and reliably delicious.

🔥 Hot & New

🧁 Abba Cakes is coming to Chester (Lower Bridge St) - Award-winning Wirral patisserie confirms a second site in the city centre; opening date TBA. 👉 Details

🎾 ON Padel @ T1 Golf (Warrington) - Brand-new padel courts are now open, alongside footgolf, indoor 5-a-side and a new fishing lake. 👉 Details

🍞 Bradwall Bakehouse (Bradwall, Sandbach) - Artisan Bread & Coffee House serving small-batch sourdough, focaccia and pastries alongside specialty coffee, plus build-your-own deli sandwiches/boards. 👉 Details

🦒 Chester Zoo’s new overnight stays - The Reserve, a safari-style lodge resort, opened 18 Aug, turning the zoo into a short-break destination. 👉 Details

🏖️ The Beach @ The Lambing Shed (Knutsford) - Under-cover “indoor beach” pop-up open 10am-4pm daily through August: giant sandpit, barn games, ice-cream bike and a small food shack. £4.95 per child, no booking needed 👉 Details

🌟 Community Highlights

Here are some local news stories (without the crime or politics!)

• 🍻 Holmes Chapel - George & Dragon update: After nearly 16 years, Martin, Helen, Steve & Christine will hand over the reins on Tue 6 Jan 2026. They’ll keep the pub buzzing through 2025 and are moving to the Antrobus Arms (Antrobus) for their next chapter. (source)
  

• 🚌 Better buses for South Warrington - From 1 Sept, more services into Greater Manchester plus the hourly Warrington-Altrincham route returns. (source)
  

• 🚶‍♀️ Wilmslow ↔ Handforth active-travel route - Works now underway on a 1.5-mile walking & cycling link to make everyday trips safer and easier. (source)

💎 Hidden Gem: Lovell Quinta Arboretum (Swettenham, near Congleton)

A peaceful 28-acre tree haven created by astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell - yes, the Jodrell Bank legend, where sweeping avenues, rare trees and a newly refreshed lake make for the gentlest hour or two. Expect around 2,500 different plants, from spring bulbs to serious specimen trees, with three National Plant Collections to spot as you wander.

Trails are clearly marked and mostly level lawn paths; pick up a simple map and choose a 20-45 minute loop, then use the interactive plant finder to hunt down curios you’ve never seen before. Dogs on leads are welcome, and there’s easy parking and entry via the Swettenham Arms right next door (perfect for a post-walk brew).

Little touches make it special: a Silent Space for quiet reflection, avenues planted to mark moments in the Lovell family’s life, and that recently refurbished wildlife-friendly lake glinting between the trees. It’s intimate, unfussy and gloriously Cheshire.

Plan your visit (quick bits):

• Open: daily 9am-sunset (closed 25 Dec).

• Access: lawn/grass paths, mainly level; can be soft after rain. Benches dotted around. Dogs on leads.

• Start/parking: through the outdoor area of the Swettenham Arms, car park.

• Handy links: 👉 Plan your visit // Plant map // RHS page

Make it a mini-day out: combine with Jodrell Bank up the road, or simply stroll straight to the Swettenham Arms for lunch in the garden.

❤️ Why we love it: You can learn something, spot something rare, and be in the pub garden five minutes later.

🔗 lovellquintaarboretum.co.uk

That’s it for this week.

Thanks for reading The Cheshire Buzz! See you next Thursday - same time, same inbox.