Good Morning Cheshire! 👋 

This week the county pulls out all the stops. ‘Live at Arley’ brings three nights of legendary artists to the grounds of Arley Hall, Warrington hosts its biggest food and drink festival yet, the Nantwich Roots Festival reaches its headline nights, and Lymm's beloved May Queen procession winds through the village for the 137th year. Buckle up.

Let’s dive in!

🎉 What’s On In Cheshire

🤠 Wilmslow Street Fest - Western Rodeo Edition
Fri 15 May, 5pm-9pm, Bank Square, Wilmslow (FREE)
Wilmslow's free street festival kicks off its 2026 season with a Wild West theme - country-inspired entertainment, live music, global street food from Bank Square stalls and a full festival atmosphere. Cowboy hats encouraged.
👉 Details

🎵 The Unthanks - Nantwich Roots Festival
Fri 15 May, Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich
The headline night of the Nantwich Roots Festival - the extraordinary Unthanks bring their haunting harmonies, evocative storytelling and deeply moving modern folk to the Civic Hall. One of the finest live acts in British music. Book fast.
👉 Details

🎸 Fleetwood Bac
Fri 15 May, 7pm, The Live Rooms, Chester
The world's first and UK's most authentic Fleetwood Mac tribute - rated by The Times as one of the country's top five tribute acts, raved about by Peter Green's biographer. The full Rumours line-up, costume changes, acoustic section and Stevie Nicks solo hits. £20.
👉 Details

🎭 John Barrowman: My Life in Musicals
Fri 15 May, 7:30pm, Storyhouse, Chester
Over three decades and 22 leading roles on West End and Broadway - Sunset Boulevard, Chicago, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera. Barrowman brings them all back to life in one night of stories, showstoppers and full-on sparkle. Post-show meet and greet available.
👉 Details

🎶 Live at Arley - Back to Boogie
Sat 16 May, gates 4pm, Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich
The big one. Over 57 million records sold between them - Imagination ft. Leee John, 5 Star (Deniece Pearson), The Real Thing, Jaki Graham, Livin' Joy and Romina Johnson for a full night of disco, funk and soul anthems in the grounds of a stunning stately home.
👉 Details

🍔 Warrington Food & Drink Festival - Day One
Sat 16 May, 10am-7pm, Bank Park, Warrington Town Hall (FREE)
Up to 80 traders fill Bank Park for a free weekend festival - street food from around the world, artisan producers, a live music stage, chef demos, cocktail workshops, circus skills, face painting and a vintage fairground. Free entry, no booking required.
👉 Details

❄️ Frozen the Musical - Final Night
Sat 16 May, 7:30pm, The Brindley Theatre, High Street, Runcorn
Centenary Theatre Company make history as the first amateur company in the North West to stage Frozen the Musical - digital screens, ice blast effects, Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman? in a 400-seat theatre. Saturday night is nearly sold out. The 5th and final performance.
👉 Details

🎸 Elles Bailey - Nantwich Roots Festival
Sat 16 May, Nantwich Civic Hall, Nantwich
Currently No.1 on the UK Americana chart with her new album, Elles Bailey brings her six-piece band to the Civic Hall - the most-played artist on BBC Radio 2 last month, and a voice likened to Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt. One of the festival's standout nights.
👉 Details

🍺 Chester Craft Beer Festival
Sat 16 May, Afternoon Session 11:30am-4pm & Evening Session 5pm-9:30pm, Carriage Shed, City Road, Chester
Beer Heroes return for their 7th year - craft beers from local and regional breweries, street food, live music and meet-the-brewer sessions at one of Chester's most characterful event spaces. Advance tickets only.
👉 Details

👗 Knutsford Fashion Week - Catwalk Finale
Sat 16 May, 11am, The Lost and Found, Knutsford (runs all week)
The week-long Flash Fashion event reaches its climax - ITV presenter Katy Rickitt compères the catwalk show at The Lost and Found, showcasing collections from 16+ of Knutsford's independent boutiques. Free to watch, then explore the shops.
👉 Details

🐕 Scurry Dog Taster Session
Sat 16 May, 10:30am-1pm, Eaton Road entrance, Handbridge, Chester
The scent-work sport for dogs with busy noses returns - structured retrieval sessions for canine brains that need more than a walk.
👉 Details

🧶 Creative Crafters Fair - Cuddington & Sandiway
Sat 16 May, 11am-4pm, Cuddington & Sandiway Village Hall, 63 Norley Road (FREE)
Local makers, unique handmade goods and a relaxed community atmosphere in mid-Cheshire.
👉 Details

🌱 Hoole Allotments Charity Plant Sale
Sat 16 May, 9:30am-12pm, Hoole Allotments, Panton Road, Chester (FREE)
Final weeks of the Saturday plant and veg sale from the Hoole community plot - all in aid of charity.
👉 Details

🎸 Live at Arley - Glam Rock Revival
Sun 17 May, gates 4pm, Arley Hall & Gardens, Northwich
The weekend closer - Bay City Rollers ft. Stuart 'Woody' Wood headline alongside Mud ft. Ray Stiles and Rob Davis, with T Rex tribute Total Rex and a David Bowie tribute. Shang-A-Lang, Tiger Feet, Marc Bolan - it's going to be spectacular.
👉 Details

🏃 Essar Chester Half Marathon
Sun 17 May, 9am, Chester Racecourse, Chester
The 44th edition of one of the UK's most beloved half marathons - flat, fast, entirely on closed roads, starting at the Racecourse and finishing outside the Town Hall and Cathedral. Entries are closed but it's a brilliant spectator event with huge crowd support along the route.
👉 Details

🏡 Grosvenor's Eaton Estate Charity Garden Open Day
Sun 17 May, 10:15am-5pm (last entry 4pm), Eaton Hall, Eccleston, Chester
The private gardens of Eaton Hall - home to the Duke and Duchess of Westminster - open for one day in aid of Chester District Scouts. Live band, children's entertainer, garden trail, charity stalls and craft activities. Pre-book only - no tickets on the gate.
👉 Details

🎵 Newton Faulkner - Nantwich Roots Festival Closing Night
Sun 17 May, Nantwich Civic Hall, Nantwich
The virtuosic Newton Faulkner closes the Roots Festival on a high. A loop pedal, a guitar, and one of the most inventive live performers in British music.
👉 Details

🎸 Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon - Space Dome Experience
Sun 17 May, 6pm & 7:30pm, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield
After sell-out runs in 2024 and 2025, the immersive Dark Side of the Moon experience returns to Jodrell Bank's Space Dome - captivating visuals and surround sound under that iconic curved screen, with the Lovell Telescope looming outside. Both May weekend sessions are sold out but future dates are available. Selling fast!
👉 Details

🌿 Bankhead NGS Open Garden
Sun 17 May, 1pm-5pm, Bankhead, Old Coach Road, Chester CH3 9JL
Two acres of terraced Victorian gardens just south of Chester - rose garden, herbaceous borders, Japanese-style pond, rhododendrons and azaleas, plus a small orchard, vegetable garden, Shetland ponies and chickens. Spectacular views west and south over the Dee valley towards Wales. Homemade teas. Pay on the day, children free.
👉 Details

🌿 Manley Knoll NGS Open Garden
Sun 17 May, Manley Knoll, Manley Road, Manley, Frodsham WA6 9DX
One of the most special garden openings in Cheshire - a six-acre Arts and Crafts estate owned by the Timpson family, open just once a year. Six garden rooms of parterres, yew hedging and herbaceous borders, a secret quarry garden with waterfall and woodland walks, and rhododendrons and azaleas at their absolute peak. Far-reaching views over the Cheshire Plain. Dog-friendly. Refreshments on site.
👉 Details

🎬 Moonlight Flicks at Rooftop Social Club
Thu 21 May, Rooftop Social Club, Pepper Street Car Park, Chester
The weekly open-air cinema series at Chester's Rooftop Social Club continues - check the programme for this week's film.
👉 Details

📚 Chester Literature Festival - ongoing
Runs to Sun 14 Jun, Storyhouse, Chester
The month-long festival continues this week - check the full programme for readings, talks and events including Lenny Henry, Maggie O'Farrell, Hamza Yassin and Susie Dent.
👉 Details

• Wilmslow Artisan Market - Sat 16 May | 👉 Details

• Tarporley Makers Market - Sun 17 May | 👉 Details

• Chester Folk Festival - Fri 22-Mon 25 May | 👉 Details

• Neighbourhood Weekender - Sat 23-Sun 24 May | 👉 Details

• Royal Cheshire County Show - Tue 16-Wed 17 Jun | 👉 Details

• Kelsall Steam & Vintage Rally - (25th Anniversary) - Sat 20-Sun 21 Jun | 👉 Details

• Bridgemere Show Gardens Food Festival - Sat 27-Sun 28 Jun | 👉 Details

• Live in the Park 2026 (Arley Hall, Cheshire) - 11 July | 👉 Details

💎 Hidden Gem: Lyme Park, The Cage & the Moorland Ridge

Whilst Lyme Park is firmly on the Cheshire map, very few walk up to The Cage, a 16th-century sandstone tower perched on the ridge above the hall, built as a hunting lodge where estate ladies once watched the stag hunt.

The views from up there are extraordinary, with Manchester sprawling north, the Cheshire Plain rolling west, and Kinder Scout brooding to the east. It's one of the finest viewpoints in the county and most visitors drive past the car park without ever finding it.

The route climbs from the main car park up past the hall to The Cage, continues along the moorland ridge to the Lantern - a quirky, hidden tower in Lantern Wood - then loops back down through the formal gardens and past the old mill pond. Around 4.5 miles, two hours at a comfortable pace, and genuinely varied terrain throughout.

The National Trust café in the converted Old Mill sits right on the lake at the end - outdoor tables, good food, worth every minute. Or head five minutes into Disley village, where the Rams Head Inn is a handsome 17th-century pub with a great garden and proper home-cooked food.

Practical bits:

• Start: Lyme Park main car park, Disley SK12 2NR. Disley train station is about 45 mins on foot via the Gritstone Trail (Manchester Piccadilly/Stockport/Buxton line)

• Distance: 4.5 miles circular

• Terrain: One moderate climb to The Cage, good paths throughout. Boots are recommended after rain.

• Dogs: Welcome on a close lead throughout

• Parking: Free for NT members. Car park charge for non-members. House entry is separate.

• The stop: NT Café at the Old Mill (on site) | The Rams Head Inn, Disley SK12 2AE

🔗 Trail map
🔗 Lyme Park - National Trust

That’s it for this week.

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