Fields, Fire & Fireflies

Good Morning Cheshire! 👋 

This week is a big one. Betley Court Farm throws a full three-day country show, a brand new fire-cooking festival lands just over the border in Altrincham, and Chester Zoo opens its gates into the evening. Add a fresh crop of craft markets and a first look at Deva Fest, and you’ve got a proper busy one.

Let’s dive in!

Jump to:FriSatSunRest of Week

🎉 What’s On In Cheshire

🗓️ Fri · 31 July

🚜 Betley’s BIG Weekend: Friday Night on the Pull
Fri 31 Jul, gates 6pm, Betley Court Farm, near Crewe
Night tractor pulling, live music from Legends of Sound, funfair, food and bar to kick off the weekend. Adults £5, under 15s and dogs free.
👉 Details

🧚 Peter Pan
Fri 31 Jul, 10am, Grosvenor Park, Chester
A walkabout theatre adventure for under 10s, meeting Peter, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook before a joyful finale in the open-air theatre.
👉 Details

🛵 Mid Cheshire Charity Scooter Rally & Beer Festival
Fri 31 Jul-Sat 1 Aug, Moss Farm Leisure Complex, Northwich
Scooter enthusiasts descend on Northwich for a weekend of music and beer, raising funds for local charities.
👉 Details

🎤 The Roy Orbison Story
Fri 31 Jul, 7:30pm, Lyceum Theatre, Crewe
Barry Steele’s acclaimed tribute marks Roy Orbison’s 90th birthday with the hits of The Big O and the Travelling Wilburys.
👉 Details

🎸 Let The Sun Shine
Fri 31 Jul, 4pm, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester
A feel-good open-air musical set in 1969 as a music festival crashes into a quiet village. Live band, tie-dye optional, ages 12+.
👉 Details

🎬 Grease vs Dirty Dancing Quiz Night
Fri 31 Jul, 7:30pm-10:30pm, The Culcheth Arms, Culcheth
A head-to-head quiz night for two of the biggest musical films, £10 per person including one drink.
👉 Details

🗓️ Sat · 1 August

🔥 Meat Up Festival (Day 1)
Sat 1 Aug, Ashley Showground, Altrincham
The North’s first field-to-flame festival, with live-fire chefs, craft butchery and music from Craig Charles and Ben Ottewell of Gomez.
👉 Details

🎪 Nantwich Societies Spectacular
Sat 1 Aug, 9am-2pm, Nantwich Town Square
Up to 30 stalls from local voluntary groups, from the Rambling Club to the Model Railway society.
👉 Details

🚗 Newton Town Show
Sat 1 Aug, 11am-5pm, Mesnes Park, Newton-le-Willows (just over the Cheshire border)
A family fun day supporting the local community, car show elements, acts and attractions to be announced closer to the date.
👉 Details

🎺 Ska Day Party: Chester
Sat 1 Aug, 3pm-8pm, Rosies, Chester
An afternoon of ska classics from The Specials to Madness and Toots & The Maytals. 18+, last entry 5pm.
👉 Details

🚗 Northwich Car Show
Sat 1 Aug, daytime, Moss Farm Sports Complex, Northwich
A new annual display of classic, vintage and performance cars and motorcycles.
👉 Details

🕺 Back To The 80’s Bottomless Brunch
Sat 1 Aug, 2:30pm-5:30pm, Empire, Warrington
An 80s disco with two hours of free bar and food included in the ticket price.
👉 Details

🖤 Black Parade: 00s Emo & Nu-Metal Anthems
Sat 1 Aug, 11pm-3am, The Live Rooms, Chester
Two-room alternative party spanning My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Paramore and System of a Down. 18+, last entry 2am.
👉 Details

🚙 Lady Heyes Car Boot Sale
Sat 1 Aug, 9am-12pm, Lady Heyes Park, Frodsham
Monthly car boot sale with free entry and parking for bargain hunters.
👉 Details

🐻 Garden Stories
Sat 1 Aug, 11am-3pm, Congleton Bath House & Physic Garden, Congleton
A playful family trail through the garden with Bibby the bear, running every Saturday this summer.
👉 Details

🦆 The Widnes Duck Hunt
Sat 1 Aug, 9am-2pm, Nantwich Town Square
A month-long community trail, 40 ducks hidden around town, building to a live duck hunt on 30 Aug at Victoria Park Bandstand.
👉 Details

🗓️ Sun · 2 August

🎡 Super Sunday: Music, Motors & More
Sun 2 Aug, gates 11am, Betley Court Farm, near Crewe
Rounding off the weekend with quad bikes, a giant inflatable obstacle course, clay pigeon shooting, dressage, slot car racing and a funfair.
👉 Details

🏇 Family Fun Day
Sun 2 Aug, Chester Racecourse, Chester
Character appearances, inflatable play zones, craft activities and music workshops alongside the racing.
👉 Details

📖 Tales From Acorn Wood
Sun 2 Aug, Lyceum Theatre, Crewe
A second Cheshire date for the lift-the-flap Julia Donaldson show, following Saturday’s performance. Check the link for the exact time, it wasn’t listed clearly on the booking page.
👉 Details

🪑 Castle Preloved Market: Rummage & Re-home
Sun 2 Aug, 10am, The Guildhall, Newcastle-under-Lyme (Staffordshire)
A new preloved car boot style market in the town centre, no cars or boots, just stalls selling homeware, books, records and clothes.
👉 Details

🐶 Peaky Pooches
Sun 2 Aug, 10am-4pm, National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port
A fun dog show plus lock demonstrations and the Young Explorer’s trail on the canal.
👉 Details

🎸 Let The Sun Shine
Sun 2 Aug, 7:30pm, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester
Sunday evening performance of the 1969-set open-air musical.
👉 Details

🧚 Peter Pan
Sun 2 Aug, 10am, Grosvenor Park, Chester
Limited tickets remain for this Sunday morning performance of the under-10s walkabout show.
👉 Details

🗓️ REST OF THE WEEK

🌲 Adventure Days at Petty Pool
Mon 3 Aug, 8:30am-4pm, Venturewood at Petty Pool, Sandiway
High ropes, canoeing and bushcraft for ages 6-13. £35 per child, book by the day.
👉 Details

🏰 Old Hall Open Days
Tue 4-Wed 5 Aug, 12pm-4pm, Tatton Park, Knutsford
Explore Tatton’s medieval Old Hall with a family picnic spot and activity packs. £5 adults, £3 children.
👉 Details

🦒 Afterglow at Chester Zoo
Tue 4 Aug, 3pm-8pm, Chester Zoo, Chester (also running Wed 5 and Thu 6, but not Mondays)
The evening zoo event continues through the week with dino trails, live music and ranger talks.
👉 Details

🍌 Minions & Monsters
Wed 5 Aug, Storyhouse Cinema, Chester
Family film screening running through the school holidays, rated U.
👉 Details

🍫 Edible Slime Workshop with Oli The Choc
Thu 6 Aug, 10am-11am, Warrington Market
A messy chocolate slime-making session with a TV chocolatier, plus a chocolate lollipop to take home. Ages 3+, limited spaces.
👉 Details

🧺 LOCAL CRAFT MARKETS

• Chester Makers Market – Sat 1 Aug, 10am-4pm | 👉 Details

• Crewe Makers Market – Sat 1 Aug, 10am-3pm | 👉 Details

• Rode Hall Farmers’ Market – Sat 1 Aug, 9am-1:30pm | 👉 Details

• Small Street Markets (Blakemere Village) – Sun 2 Aug, 10am-4pm | 👉 Details

• Knutsford Makers Market – Sun 2 Aug, 11am-4pm | 👉 Details

🗓️ DATES FOR THE DIARY

• Deva Fest – Thu 6 Aug-Sun 9 Aug | 👉 Details

• Northwich Artisan Market – Sat 8 Aug | 👉 Details

• Sandbach Makers Market – Sat 8 Aug | 👉 Details

• Tatton Park 5k & 10k – Sat 8 Aug | 👉 Details

• Warrington Makers Market – Sun 9 Aug | 👉 Details

• Moonlight Flicks begins (outdoor cinema) – Sun 9 Aug | 👉 Details

💎 Hidden Gem: Bickerton Hill & Maiden Castle (near Malpas)

Bickerton Hill is one of Cheshire’s last stretches of lowland heath, cared for by the National Trust: purple heather, gorse and sandstone paths along the Sandstone Trail, with an Iron Age hillfort at the top.

The walk climbs to Maiden Castle, a hillfort dating from around 600BC, then on to a plateau with views stretching across the Cheshire Plain to the Welsh hills on a clear day. It’s a real “why have I not done this before” walk, and quiet enough that you won’t be tripping over anyone.

Keep an eye on little ones near the top. The plateau has some steep drops at the edges, and it’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest, so dogs need to stay on leads, especially with ground-nesting birds and reptiles about.

Practical bits:

• Start point: car park alongside the Bickerton Poacher pub, Wrexham Road, Bickerton, SY14 8BE

• Distance: 3.2 miles, a loop

• Difficulty: moderate, sandstone steps and a short, sharp climb

• Duration: around 1 hour 35 minutes

• Accessibility: not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs, uneven and rocky in places

• 🍺 Pub stop: the Bickerton Poacher, right at the start/end of the walk, dog-friendly with an outdoor seating area

👉 Route on AllTrails
🔗 Bickerton Hill, National Trust

That’s it for this week.

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