London often overshadows the bulk of cities in the UK because of its global appeal, the city being recognized as the business capital of the world, and its eclectic mix of cultures. However, there are many cities in the UK that showcase the same creative juices on a slightly smaller scale.
Manchester is one of those cities. Renowned for its rich music history as well as sports teams, Manchester is also home to highly regarded museums, theaters and art galleries. The city also hosts many annual festivals, which are attended by millions.
Below is a run through some of Manchester’s most interesting festivals that are still to play-out in 2015 and to keep an eye out in upcoming years.
Manchester Food and Drink Festival – September 10-21, 2015
Just on the fringe of the city, a group of likeminded individuals started a food festival to reshape how the rest of the UK perceived the culinary industry in the city. The festival, which will be held between September 10-21, this year, will culminate in a “glitzy awards ceremony at Manchester town hall on September 21 celebrating the best food at the festival.”
Also, featured at the festival are various bake-offs, keynotes from leading chefs, and an ice cream banquet among other various quirky offerings from this independently run event. For more information and ticket pricing, you can visit their website here.
Ramsbottom Festival – September 18-20, 2015
As a weekend of musical shenanigans, Ramsbottom Festival is held at Ramsbottom Cricket Club in Manchester. The festival has made a name as a very family-friendly environment, which is rare for most UK music festivals. It’s also a good breeding ground for creative minds with many arts and craft stalls, play areas for children, and locally sourced independent food stalls.
This year’s lineup includes bands like iconic Scottish band The Proclaimers, Space Monkeys, Houdini Dax, Black Rivers, Sundowners and Sweet Billy Pilgrim. Tickets are pretty cheap in comparison to the majority of UK music festivals with adult weekend tickets priced at £60 and children from £19-16 with under-6s allowed in for free.
Traveling to Manchester
Manchester is accessible via train from London as well as buses. For the most part the bus services run 24-hours a day with the trains running from 6am through to around 9pm. Traveling to Manchester via train from London will take you just over two hours from London Euston train station.
An alternative form of transport is via airplane. Manchester airport is one of the biggest in the UK, and is renowned for being extremely efficient, and services flights from all around the world. It also has “trains that run 7 days a week through national train operators,” which mean getting to the city center from the airport is extremely easy and cost effective.
Have you ever been to Manchester? Do you recommend any places to visit?
A New Life Wandering 
I regret to say I have only had a very brief visit to London. Always good to know there are other places to explore! Yes I shall need to live to be 150 that’s all there is to it. 🙂
I would regret that too hehe. I lived in London for a year in 2008 and fell in love with it. I do hear it has changed a lot since then though. And England definitely has many other cool places to explore. I can see you living till 150 Sue! hehe
So true! I’m from the UK, and I always find it a shame that the majority of people I’ve met from overseas who have been to the UK only saw London. There’s so much more to the UK than just one city, It’s like saying you’ve seen Australia because you spent a week in Sydney. it’s great to see posts about other awesome parts of the UK, There’s so much to do and the country is so varied it’s a shame people don’t travel around more, (including Brits!)
Yes, totally agree. Although London is an amazing city, England is filled with great other cities.