There’s food festivals, Pride events and Hungarian fruit brandy all up for partaking in this weekend
The YUM! Food & Drink Festival is coming back to Trafford this weekend(Image: Emma Boyle)
It is set to be a weekend to remember here in Greater Manchester – both in terms of weather and the number of events taking place.
Considering we’ve received warnings for both high heat and thunderstorms, the weather is s unpredictable as usual.
The latest we’ve heard is that we will continue to bask in a heatwave over the next couple of days – with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issuing a heat-health alert for large parts of the UK including the Midlands, south and east England, Yorkshire and Humber and London.
But whether it’s sunny or stormy, a number of events will be held across Greater Manchester on Saturday and Sunday – continuing the MCR Live 2025 trajectory we’re currently on. Last week, the city-borough hosted 160,000 music fans at Parklife and will host thousands more for five Oasis shows at Heaton Park in just a matter of weeks.
Speaking of what’s taking place this weekend, there’s still some last-minute tickets available to buy for a good few of them. Over in the city centre, there will be a urban folk music and dancing festival featuring plenty of food and workshops, as well a food and drinks festivals in Trafford and Stockport.
There’s also a Pride event and a celebration of Eid music both taking place across Salford Quays on Saturday – ensuring there is truly something for everyone.
Salford Pride’s Picnic in the Park will be held at Peel Park on Saturday(Image: Salford Pride)
If you’re looking for some last minute suggestions when it comes to things to do this weekend, here’s our top five favourite things happening across Greater Manchester on Saturday and Sunday.
Góbéfest
Running from Friday to Sunday (June 20-22), a celebration of Székler culture will take over Cathedral Gardens.
The urban folk music and dance festival, now in its ninth year, will feature a mix of bands and solo artists, folk dance troupes, choirs and more from central and eastern Europe and beyond.
There will be a host of food and drink stalls from independent traders, like The Hungry Hungarian and Chimney Cake Paradise, who will be selling the likes of fried sour cream and cheese-topped flatbreads known as lángos, stuffed cabbage and tripe soup. There’s also a cocktail bar and a palinka stand – offering Hungarian fruit brandy.
Alongside that, there will be free family-friendly activities including traditional folk arts and crafts, balalalika workshops and gingerbread decoration classes.
The event operates on a pay-what-you-feel basis, with tickets available to purchase here. Will run from 11am to 11pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Urmston Food and Drink Festival
Following a successful debut last year, the YUM! Food and Drink Festival will be returning to Railway Road this Saturday (June 21).
Running from 11am to 5pm, the event will celebrate independent traders and artisan makers across a variety of producers including Y Not Bar & Kitchen, Flour & Soul Bakery, Dan’s Cookies, Banga Curries, The Greek Village Manchester and Pomona Island Brewery.
There will also be cooking demonstrations, workshops, live entertainment and family activities. The Urmston event runs from 11am to 5pm and is free to enter.
Salford Pride’s Pink Picnic
This Saturday, Salford’s Peel Park will host Salford Pride’s extremely popular Pink Picnic festival – which is now in its 14th year.
The LGBTQ+ event will feature performances from the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Banksie and The X Factor’s Cher Lloyd. There will also be performances from Ultrabeat, Natasha Hamilton from Atomic Kitten, Tameko Star from Livin Joy, and the Queer Asian Cabaret with Lucky Roy Singh. If you’ve been before, there are some new changes that have been announced to be part of this year’s event.
Tickets start from £5, with under-16’s free. There are also VIP tickets offering early entry from 12.30pm. General entry begins from 1pm and it is set to finish up at 8pm. Tickets here.
Urban folk music and dance festival Góbéfest will take place from June 20 to 22 at Cathedral Gardens(Image: Góbéfest)MACFEST 2025: Eid musical
The Muslim Arts and Culture Festival has been taking place since February with more that 85 events celebrating the arts and connecting communities.
On Saturday, the festival will host a special Eid musical evening at the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays.
The ticketed show will feature a host of singers and musicians from the North West, including Moroccan singer Hamza Bouzhar and Pakistani star Sajal Chaudhary.
Tickets cost £15 with the event running from 6-8pm. Tickets here.
Stockport Beer & Cider Festival 2025
The last day of this year’s Stockport Beer and Cider Festival will take place on Saturday (June 21).
Held at Masonic Guildhall, the event will feature a selection of real ales, ciders and perries to taste and enjoy, as well as food stalls and good music to keep spirits soaring. Clint Boon will be DJing, with entertainment also coming from The Mixtape Bros and Kevin O’Neill.
Organised by CAMRA, the event costs £17.50 for non-CAMRA members, which includes entry, a £4 refundable glass hire and £10 of drinks tokens. Or you can just pay for admission for £5 (£3 for CAMRA members). The event runs from 12pm to 10pm. Tickets here.
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