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UK’s largest Italian food festival is coming to Manchester this weekend and it’s FREE

It’s all happening at Festa this weekend…

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Festa Italiana

Manchester is in for a treat this bank holiday weekend with the return of the UK’s biggest Italian food festival.

Described as ‘the country’s most exciting and vibrant festival of Italian food, drink and culture’, Festa Italiana is a unique celebration of the very best of Italian culture, and will once again be gracing Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens for the August bank holiday weekend.

The festival found life five years ago by the family-run Italian restaurant group Salvi’s, and was quick to grow in popularity, with over 38,000 people visiting during last year’s event alone.

And this weekend, a number of the festival’s most popular faces will be returning alongside some exciting new additions.

Here’s what’s on the line-up….

Festa Italiana

Festa’s famed cooking masterclasses

To kick start the festivities on Friday August 26th, there will be a cooking masterclass from Festa founder Maurizio Cecco and his daughter Sienna at 1:30pm, while the team from I Sapori di Corbara Tomatoes will be flying in from Naples for a talk on their brand and products at 2:30pm.

At 3:30pm, Giulia Martinelli of The Pasta Factory will be showcasing her best pasta-making techniquies and, at 4.30pm, the Luxardo Maraschino team will guide guests through the versatility of their cherries in desserts and drinks. And to round up the day at 5.30pm, there will be a Campari cocktail masterclass.

The following day on Saturday August 27th, there will be a Pasta Masterclass from Maurizio Cecco at 1:30pm, followed by masterclasses and book signings from Gennaro Contaldo, UK brand ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano at 2:30pm. Then, there will be a meet-and-greet with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli at 3:30pm, and at 4:30pm, the Aperol team will be talking you through the methods behind some of the most loved Italian drinks.

Sunday 28th August will see masterclasses and book signings from Giancarlo Caldesi at 1:30pm, while Gennaro Contaldo will be back at 2:30pm. Great British Bake Off 2021 winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno will be looking after things at 3:30pm and at 4:30pm, there will be a very special pizza making masterclass by the team from Pizzeria Da Michele.

Festa Italiana

Carmela Sereno Hayes will also be hosting ‘Carmela’s Kitchen’ across the entire weekend, with free drop-in sessions teaching pasta loving adults and kids alike how to make the perfect – and most beautiful – pasta.

Festa Italiana Feast at Festa Marquee

On Saturday 27th August, there will be an intimate chefs’ table dinner featuring top class Italian celebrity chefs, Gennaro ContaldoGiancarlo Caldesi and Aldo Zilli, hosted and cooked by Maurizio Cecco, with fresh pasta made from scratch by Carmela Serano Hayes (Carmela’s Kitchen).

Guests will dine with the legendary Italian restaurateurs and will be able to engage in conversations about Italian food, drink and culture throughout the feast.

The evening will be toasted with a Gin Mare drinks reception, and Italian wine will flow throughout the delectable four course meal, with all drinks for the evening included in the ticket price.

Get tickets for the Festa Feast here.

Festa Italiana

Food

It wouldn’t be an Italian festival without good food, would it?

Over the course of the weekend, returning Festa favourites Café Cannoli will be selling delicious cannoli made using authentic ingredients imported directly from Sicily, local lads Paul and Mike from I Knead Pizza will be bringing their wood fired oven along to serve up their highly acclaimed Neopolitan pizza, while Lucky Mama’s will be serving extruded pasta with fresh homemade sauces.

Proove will also be joining the line-up with their authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza, T’arricrii will bring the essence of Sicily to Cathedral Gardens with their mouth-watering arancini and Fritto Misto, while Manchester’s very own Pasta Factory will be serving up a menu of simple, authentically Italian fresh pasta.

Café Azul will be serving up Kickback Coffee, hot and cold drinks, snacks, cakes and grilled paninis all weekend long, while Destination Doughnut will be dishing out delightful doughnuts described as: light, airy and the perfect balance of sweetness.

Festa Italiana

Also on the bill, the driving force behind Festa Italiana, family run Salvi’s will be selling sweet treats and branded Salvi’s delights from their Deli.

Drink

Festa Italiana’s famous Festival Bar will be making its grand return, and will showcase incredible signature serves across the weekend, including the perfect serve Gin Mare Capri and Gin Mare. Birrificio Angelo Poretti will also be bringing its craft Italian beers served from its Airstream Bar.

The Aperol Spritz Bar will be doing exactly what it says on the tin by serving up everyone’s favourite Italian summer refresher while the Main Festival Bar will be bringing you all of the Italian classics including Gin Mare, Gin Mare Capri, Luxardo, Aperol Spritz, Italian craft beers, Ponte Prosecco, the very best Italian wine and soft drinks.

Family-friendly events

Let’s Grow Allotment – brought by Ben Faulks, the co-creator and presenter of the award winning CBeebies brand Mr. Bloom’s Nursery – delivers a truly unique experience by combining the core themes of Mr Bloom’s Nursery with the shows of Ben’s theatre company ‘Plunge Bloom’.

Championing nature, nurture, wellbeing, and imaginative play, with a deftness of touch that leaves an indelible impression upon audiences of all ages.

Festa Italiana

There will also be the a pop-up allotment by Let’s Grow Nannies, which will offer parents a mix of gardening and childcare. The show takes place in a charming pop-up allotment which serves as an interactive play space hosted by two Let’s Grow Nannies with their family of baby fruits and vegetables.

The Let’s Grow Allotment show runs at 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm each day across the weekend.

Music 

Music and Festa Italiana go hand-in-hand and, this year, Compagnia Sole Luna will be flying over from Naples to bring the city’s traditional folk music to Manchester. There will also be a full line up of local artists and bands including the city’s best loved opera singer The Manchester Tenor, while DJs will be spinning records each night.

Festa Italiana will take place at Cathedral Gardens from Friday August 26th to Sunday August 28th, 12pm – 11pm every day. 

Find out more here.

What's On

Free Stick Man trail relaunches for Easter with new characters

The free family-friendly trail is now open and it’s around an hour and a half drive from Manchester

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@nat_mem_arb / Instagram & The National Memorial Arboretum

Families looking to entertain their little ones can visit a free Stick Man trail which has relaunched for the Easter holidays, with some new characters.

The free self-led trail follows the story of The Stick Man from a twig for a nest to a mast for a flag as he tries to make his way home to his Family Tree.

The trail, which can be found at the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield, Staffordshire, was open during February half-term and promises to be even better as it sees imaginative young visitors go on an adventure through its acres of woodland.

The National Memorial Arboretum

As little ones help The Stick Man on his adventure, they will enjoy discovering five new ‘carved and colourful wooden characters’ as well as the ever-popular Stick Man sculpture, on the mile-long route.

New characters to be discovered include the dog that loves fetch, to the swan that uses The Stick Man to build a nest.

Visitors can pick up a free self-led trail sheet on arrival at the Welcome Desk, and head out into the Arboretum to explore the new trail.  

The Julia Donaldson classic story-inspired by trail relaunched on March 23rd and will be open during the Easter holidays, and for the rest of the year. Its opening times are from 10am-4pm every day.

@nat_mem_arb / Instagram

Also available at the site is a restaurant selling hot food, sandwiches, cakes and beverages suitable for all ages, which is open 10am-3pm daily. There’s indoor and outdoor seating as well as designated picnic areas.

Visitors are advised to wear suitable footwear and clothing as the outdoor route does venture through woodland and can get a bit muddy, so it is unsuitable for some pushchairs.

Visitors are also urged to book parking in advance to avoid any disappointment on the day.

Dogs are permitted as long as they are kept on a short lead and the site says visitors should note that children’s bikes, balance bikes, scooters and rollerblades can not be used in the Arboretum grounds.

@nat_mem_arb / Instagram

“Our original Stick Man trail has proven to be a huge family-favourite, with thousands of visitors exploring the route since it opened in 2019,” explains Rachel Smith, Head of Participation and Learning at the National Memorial Arboretum. 

“This new trail is longer, more interactive than ever, and features stunning woodcarvings that will really capture the imagination of our visitors as they follow The Stick Man’s journey back to his Family Tree. 

“We’d love for fans of The Stick Man young and old to join us at the Arboretum for our full day of free activities to celebrate the opening of the new trail, a fantastic way to start the Easter holidays!”

The huge site is around 150 acres and holds around 400 memorials of all shapes and sizes dedicated to the Armed Forces.

The National Memorial Arboretum / Facebook

Guests of all ages are welcome to explore the grounds as they discover the memorials tucked away in gardens and woodland glades among 25,000 trees.

“At the National Memorial Arboretum, we share the incredible stories of those who have served and sacrificed for our country in many different ways, from the 400-plus memorials in the gardens and woodlands, to our changing exhibition and events programme,” continues Rachel.

Adding: “One of our key ambitions is to pass on this baton of Remembrance to the next generation, and The Stick Man trail is a wonderful way to introduce young children and their families to the Arboretum.

“Along the trail, they will also encounter some of these memorials and stories and, as their families grow, we look forward to welcoming them back to the Arboretum many times to explore more about our shared history and to commemorate those who lost their lives in service.”

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What's On

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are coming to Manchester this autumn

Make sure you don’t miss tickets for this!

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@nickcaveofficial / Instagram

Nick Cave is heading to the UK for the first time since 2017, and the good news is he’ll be stopping in Manchester.

The Australian rock legend and his band the Bad Seeds will be playing the AO Arena on November 5th, as part of a full European tour.

And in even better news the tour coincides with the release of the band’s 18th studio album, Wild God, which is set to be released on August 30th.

@nickcaveofficial / Instagram


About the tour, Cave said: “I never think about how a record is going to go live, it never, ever occurs to me

“The lyric writing process is way too hard to take ideas like that into consideration. But, when I listen to Wild God now, I think we can really do something epic with these songs live.

“We’re really excited about that – the record just feels like it was made for the stage.”

The Bad Seeds will be supported by art rock band Black Country, New Road throughout their UK tour.

@nickcaveofficial / Instagram


Cave added: “Wild God…there’s no f**king around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.

“I hope the album has the effect [on listeners] that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious.

“There is never a masterplan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”

The full UK dates for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds:


  • 2 November – Leeds, First Direct arena
    3 November – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
    5 November – Manchester, AO Arena
    6 November – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
    8 November – London, The O2
    12 November – Dublin, 3Arena
    15 November – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena

Grab your tickets here

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Music legend Stevie Nicks is coming to Manchester’s Co-op Live this summer 

The legendary singer-songwriter is coming to Manchester this year!

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Co-op Live

Legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks is coming to Manchester’s Co-op Live this summer.

The front woman of the iconic band Fleetwood Mac will take to the stage at the brand new arena – set to open this spring – to the delight of her adoring fans on Tuesday, July 9th.

Nicks will perform in Manchester ahead of her upcoming appearance at BTS in London’s Hyde Park on July 12th.

Co-op Live

Speaking about her upcoming show in London, Nicks said: “Anything that draws me back to London – and therefore to England – fills my heart with joy. And to be able to visit and make music… is always a dream come true…”

Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975 along with her then partner and fellow Mac band member, Lindsey Buckingham. 

She introduced to the band her distinctive voice, poetic songwriting, and captivating stage presence, winning over the love of audiences worldwide.

Co-op Live

Her impact on Fleetwood Mac’s success during the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly with the release of the highly acclaimed album Rumours, solidified her as a musical powerhouse. 

This record sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the 5th best-selling album of the 1970s and the 9th best-selling album of all time.

Beyond her contributions to Fleetwood Mac, Nicks has had a significant solo career that further cements her enduring influence. 

Co-op Live

Hits including ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Stand Back’ showcase her versatility and unique style. 

Her ability to transcend musical boundaries, coupled with her trailblazing role as a woman in rock, has inspired generations of artists.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and as a solo artist in 2019, Stevie Nicks continues to be celebrated not only for her musical prowess but also as a symbol of resilience and creativity in the ever-evolving musical landscape.

Co-op members will be first in line for tickets at Co-op Live before they go on general sale, including other exclusive benefits – get signed up HERE.

Co-op member presale tickets go live at 12pm on March 20th

General sale tickets go live at 12pm on March 22nd.

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