Forests, Fests & Father’s Day

Good Morning Cheshire! 👋 

Father’s Day weekend does not disappoint this year. Forest Live takes over Delamere with four nights of huge names among the trees, DogFest takes over Tatton Park, the Kelsall Steam Rally celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Walton Hall hosts two completely different festivals on consecutive days. Top it all off with a Summer Solstice sunset hike on the longest day of the year, and this is a weekend that covers every base.

Let’s dive in!

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🎉 What’s On In Cheshire

🗓️ Fri · 19 June

🎵 ELO Again
Fri 19 Jun, 7:30pm, Gawsworth Hall Open Air Theatre, Church Lane, Gawsworth
The UK’s premier ELO tribute brings Mr Blue Sky, Livin’ Thing, Don’t Bring Me Down and the full catalogue to one of Cheshire’s most magical outdoor settings. Bring a picnic, arrive from 2pm to explore the grounds, and enjoy the Tudor hall as your backdrop.
👉 Details

🎤 Could Be Real Tribute Festival
Fri 19 Jun, 3pm-11pm (last entry 7pm), Walton Hall & Gardens, Walton Lea Road, Warrington
Two stages of the UK’s finest tributes in the grounds of Walton Hall – ABBA, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Oasis, Pink, Queen, Sam Fender and Take That.
👉 Details

🎉 Ultra 90s vs 2000s
Fri 19 Jun, 7:30pm, The Arena, 39 High Street, Crewe
The biggest dance anthems, club bangers and euphoric energy of two iconic decades collide in one live show in Crewe. Think Eurodance, garage, R&B and pure nostalgia – a proper Friday night out.
👉 Details

🎵 Warrington Blues Club – Pat Fulgoni Band & Set in Stone
Fri 19 Jun, The Bellhouse Olde Barn, Warrington
Billboard Magazine declared Pat Fulgoni could “sing a pearl from its oyster” – and Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio’s Blues Show agreed. He brings his stunning five-piece blues band to Warrington’s friendliest club night, with Staffordshire modern blues-rock outfit Set in Stone in support.
👉 Details

📓 Guided Nature Journalling Walk – Brereton Heath
Fri 19 Jun, 10am-12pm, Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve, near Congleton
Join Anna from Writing with Purpose for a gentle guided nature journalling walk through Brereton Heath. No writing experience or mindfulness background needed – just an openness to slow down and notice things.
👉 Details

🗓️ Sat · 20 June

🐾 DogFest in the Countryside – Day One
Sat 20 Jun, 9:30am-4:30pm, Tatton Park, Knutsford
DogFest returns with a fresh “In the Countryside” theme – agility courses, the Giant Ball Pit, Dog Diving, Dogstacle Course, Hay Bale Hurdles, breed meet-ups, and The Baker’s Arms hosted by Matt Baker with live chats and family pub quizzes throughout the weekend.
👉 Details

🪩 The ABBA Day Party
Sat 20 Jun, Rosies, Chester
A full-on ABBA day party at Chester’s Rosies – Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! and the full catalogue in a proper club setting. With ABBA tribute acts performing live, it’s a Saturday afternoon and evening done right.
👉 Details

🌲 Forest Live: Fatboy Slim
Sat 20 Jun, gates 5pm, Delamere Forest, Northwich
Norman Cook marks 40 years in music with a huge Delamere set, supported by Sarah Story and Sasha GiGi. One of the biggest dance nights Cheshire will see all summer.
👉 Details

🏎️ Daresbury Festival 2026
Sat 20 Jun, 12pm-11pm, Walton Hall & Gardens, Warrington
A boutique celebration of house, disco and happiness in the grounds of Walton Hall – Craig Charles, 808 State, Annie Mac, Roger Sanchez, Barbara Tucker, Horse Meat Disco and more across a glitter-friendly, open-hearted one-day festival.
👉 Details

🪩 ABBA Reunion
Sat 20 Jun, 7:30pm, Gawsworth Hall Open Air Theatre, Church Lane, Gawsworth
Waterloo, Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All – the full ABBA songbook performed live in the grounds of a 15th-century Tudor manor house. Picnics welcome, grounds open from 2pm. £36.50.
👉 Details

🎸 1261 Festival & Parade Day – Macclesfield
Sat 20 Jun, all day, Macclesfield Town Centre
Back for its third year and growing – a full day of music, parades, food and community celebration marking the year Macclesfield received its market charter. Free to attend, with a full programme across the town centre.
👉 Details

🎶 Midsummer Concert with Macclesfield Brass – Tegg’s Nose
Sat 20 Jun, 5:30pm-6:30pm, Tegg’s Nose Country Park, Macclesfield
Relax with a brass band concert at one of the best viewpoints in east Cheshire – bring a blanket and enjoy the views across the Cheshire Plain while Macclesfield Brass play.
👉 Details

🌱 Hoole Allotments Charity Plant Sale
Sat 20 Jun, 9am-12pm, Hoole Allotments, Panton Road, Chester
Fresh plants and veg grown by the Hoole Allotments community, all proceeds going to the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.
👉 Details

🎵 SCS Goes Jazz
Sat 20 Jun, 7:30pm-9:30pm, St Peter’s Church Hall, School Lane, Elworth, Sandbach
Sandbach Choral Society’s summer concert – a great mix of well-known choral pieces alongside some that have been given a jazz makeover.
👉 Details

🗓️ Sun · 21 June

🪖 Kelsall Steam & Vintage Rally – Day Two
Sun 21 Jun, gates 9:30am, Churches View Farm, Kelsall Road, Ashton, Nr Chester
The rally’s final day – same brilliant programme of steam engines, vintage vehicles, arena events and family entertainment.
👉 Details

🎡 Father’s Day Weekend – Gulliver’s World
Sat 20 Jun & Sun 21 Jun, Gulliver’s World, Shackleton Close, Warrington
Adults go free all weekend when accompanied by one full-paying child – 50+ rides, attractions and shows across Gulliver’s World. One of the best value family days out in Cheshire, and a cracking way to celebrate Father’s Day.
👉 Details

🌲 Dadventure – Dads Go Free at Go Ape, Delamere Forest
Sun 21 Jun, Go Ape, Delamere Forest, Northwich
Dad’s go free on the Treetop Challenge at Go Ape Delamere when you’re among the first thousand to book – zip wires, rope ladders and tree-to-tree crossings above the forest floor. Book fast, this fills up quickly.
👉 Details

🌲 Forest Live: McFly
Sun 21 Jun, gates 5pm, Delamere Forest, Northwich
McFly close out the Forest Live weekend at Delamere – Five Colours in Her Hair, Star Girl, All About You – with support from Twin Atlantic and Remember Monday. The perfect way to end a huge weekend.
👉 Details

🌄 Summer Solstice Sunset Hike
Sun 21 Jun, 8:30pm-11pm, location via Cheshire East Ranger Service
Make the most of the longest day of the year with a guided walk to the top of one of Cheshire’s highest peaks – learn about the geology that shaped the landscape and watch the sunset from the summit. A genuinely special way to mark midsummer.
👉 Details

🗓️ REST OF THE WEEK

🏛️ Gawsworth Hall – General Opening Weekend Begins
Sat 20 Jun (runs to Sun 2 Aug, Sat & Sun only, 2-5pm), Gawsworth Hall, Church Lane, Gawsworth
One of Cheshire’s finest Tudor manor houses opens its doors for the summer season – a 15th-century black and white hall, still lived in by the Richards family, with fine interior woodwork, paintings and a magnificent carved staircase.
👉 Details

🎵 Button Warehouse Tuesday Live Music
Tue 23 Jun, 7:50pm, The Button Warehouse, Chestergate, Macclesfield
Every Tuesday without fail, the Button Warehouse opens its Live Lounge to a curated evening of live music hosted by Joel Gardner. One of the most reliable free live music nights in the county – different act every week, always worth checking in on.
👉 Details

🎬 Moonlight Flicks at Rooftop Social Club
Thu 25 Jun, Rooftop Social Club, Pepper Street Car Park, Chester
The weekly open-air cinema series above Chester’s rooftops continues – this week’s film is ‘10 Things I Hate About You’.
👉 Details

🧺 LOCAL CRAFT MARKETS

• Bents Artisan Market – Sat 20 Jun | 👉 Details

• Tarporley Makers Market – Sun 21 Jun | 👉 Details

🗓️ DATES FOR THE DIARY

• Charity Quiz Night, Congleton – Fri 26 Jun | The Corner Cauldron, Congleton 👉 Details

• Scurry Dog Taster Session – Sat 27 Jun | Chester 👉 Details

• Congleton Makers Market – Sat 27 Jun | 👉 Details

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

• Treacle Market Macclesfield – Sun 28 Jun | 👉 Details

• Garden Stories – Opening Day – Sun 28 Jun | Congleton Bath House & Physic Garden 👉 Details

• Creative Crafters Craft Fair – Sun 28 Jun | Antrobus Village Hall, Northwich 👉 Details

• Just So Festival – Fri 21-Sun 23 Aug | Rode Hall, near Congleton 👉 Details

💎 Hidden Gem: Halton Castle & the Mersey Gorge, Runcorn

Halton Castle sits on top of Halton Hill, a sandstone outcrop with 360-degree views across the Mersey, the Cheshire Plain and, on a clear day, all the way to Liverpool. It’s one of only two surviving Norman castles in Cheshire, a Grade I listed scheduled monument, and almost nobody outside Runcorn has been.

The castle itself dates back to the 11th century, built for Hugh d’Avranches, Earl of Chester. What survives is a shell keep – walls, a sally port, a garderobe and the remains of a tower – and while it’s a steady climb up Halton Hill to reach it, the payoff is one of the best panoramic views in the borough.

The Mersey Gateway Bridge and Silver Jubilee Bridge both stretch out below, with Runcorn, Widnes and the river beyond. Norton Priory now manages the site, and the grounds and castle walls are free to walk around at any time of year.

The walk up through Halton village is short but has real character – narrow lanes, old stone cottages and a real sense of climbing into a different world above the town. It pairs naturally with a visit to Norton Priory itself, just down the hill, if you want to make a full afternoon of it.

The castle grounds are accessed through The Castle pub at the top, it’s worth checking ahead for the opening hours but the hours I did find are: Mon-Fri 12-11pm, Sat 9:30 am-11 pm and Sun 9:30 am-10:30 pm.

The views and the climb are worth it regardless, and the beer garden inside the castle walls is a genuinely unique spot for a drink.

Practical bits:

• Location: Halton Castle, Halton, Runcorn WA7 2AN

• Getting there: A short, steep walk up through Halton village from Runcorn town centre. Runcorn train station is about a mile away.

• Admission: Free to walk the grounds and castle walls year-round.

• Terrain: A steep climb up Halton Hill – sturdy footwear recommended. The ruins themselves have uneven ground.

• Dogs: Welcome in the grounds.

• The stop: The Castle pub sits within the castle walls

  
  🔗 Halton Castle

That’s it for this week.

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