If you’re up for making memories by enjoying great experiences on your doorstep, then don’t miss our monthly top picks of the best events, happenings and gatherings throughout the city and beyond…
June has certainly brought the best weather to kick off our Summer in the City season, and there is plenty of fabulous stuff to look forward to this month for locals and visitors alike.
From the big headline events, performances, exhibitions and festivals to the smaller stuff including gigs, quiz nights, food & drinks tastings and so much more – Chester really is bursting at the seams with great stuff to see and do this Summer.
FEATURED:
CHESTER REGATTA
Saturday 10th June from 8am
700m Races on the River Dee between The Red House (Et Alia) and Earl’s Eye
Non-rowing spectators: Watch from The Meadows, Queens Park, Chester
Non-rowing spectator parking: at Queen’s Park High School, CH4 7AE (£3)
Just a short walk to the Meadows with a free ferry to visit the Regatta Ground
Picnic on the Meadows (no fires or BBQs)
Hot & cold food & drink sold all day
Come along and enjoy a free fun day out, smiles & cheers are most welcome!
Click here to find out more
BOLESWORTH INTERNATIONAL
14th to 18th June|
Cheshire’s unmissable event for the whole family!
Featuring all-day entertainment, live music (included in your ticket), action sports and driving experiences, fashion, shopping and things to do for kids of all ages (from toddlers to teenagers). For the equestrian lovers, the horse show still takes centre stage with world-class sport, Ben Atkinson’s amazing stunt horses and so much more…
Click here for more info & tickets
GREEN EXPO 2023
Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th June
The second GREEN EXPO in Chester, June 15-17, 2023 will show what has been achieved in the region on progress to Net Zero and climate change and how it will impact how we live, work, learn and play.
Click here to find out how you can get involved
TASTE CHESHIRE FARMER’S MARKET
Saturday 17th June from 9.30am
On the third Saturday of each month, the Taste Cheshire team can be found outside Chester Town Hall for the monthly Taste Cheshire Farmers Market, with some of the county’s best local producers. Including fresh baked bread, pies, cheese, cakes, preserves, crafts and more… So come on down and support the very best of local produce.
ACTIVE TRAVEL FEST
Sunday 18th June
Aimed at all ages and abilities the ACTIVE TRAVEL FESTIVAL or ATFest will be fun and informative, with the purpose to promote active travel as the natural choice for those short journeys: to school, work or the shops.
So, if you’re a driver who’s interested in reducing your car use then ATfest is for you…
· eBike Taster Ride
· Dr Bike Repair Shop
· Freestyle Mountain Bike Stunts
· Ginger Scooter Trial
· Films & Talks at Storyhouse
· Schools Active Travel Poster Competition with Storyhouse
Click here to find out more
CHESTER HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Saturday 17th to Wednesday 28th June
The Chester Heritage Festival 2023 takes place from Saturday 17th to Wednesday 28th June. Events for all ages will include: over 20 walks to explore the city; opportunities to learn more about the people and history of Chester through talks, exhibitions and online events; activities at Chester Cathedral, The Castle, and New Chester Market, along the Rows and City Walls, and on the streets.
Take part in a quiz or open mic evenings. Be entertained by Chester’s Town Crier. Bring along the children to take part in fun activities. This year there will be a focus on Chester’s waterways and the festival embraces the Midsummer Watch parades on 24 and 25 June and the first night of Chester’s Mystery Plays on 28 June.
Whether resident or visitor, in person or online, we hope you will find something of interest as Chester Heritage Festival tells the stories that have accumulated over two millennia.
Click here to find out more
CHESTER MYSTERY PLAYS
Running from 28th June to 7th July.
They only come around once every five years, and we know that the 2023 Chester Mystery Plays are going to be more spectacular than ever before!
Click here to find out more
CHESTER RACES
17th June – Edinburgh Gin Summer Saturday 2023 (first race 1.35pm)
30th June – Beaverbrooks Friday Night Social 2023 (first race 5.40pm)
23rd & 24th June – Chester Polo Series 2023
NEW CHESTER MARKET DEMO
Thursday 8th June
Pastry masterclass
Come and see our wonderful Steph demonstrating her exquisite pastry and baking skills.
Stephanie Peters is a former Grosvenor Hotel pastry chef and opened Pastry Pédaleur in the old market in 2021, but has already built up a great reputation for her French inspired handcrafted gourmet pastries and desserts.
Stephanie was recently featured on Channel 4 as amongst the UK’s best small food producers in the hit reality TV series – ‘Aldi’ s Next Big Thing.’
ART
‘How did we get here? Where do we go now? Interactive Chester Exhibition
We kick off June’s art programme with the continuation of renowned UK photographer Simon Roberts’ interactive exhibition ‘How did we get here? Where do we go now?’ which has made use of a great space in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. There are a number of workshops coming up this month where everyone is welcome to contribute to the big finale piece to be revealed on the 30th of June, so it’s time to get involved!
https://www.chestervisualarts.org.uk/exhibitions-and-events/simon-roberts-exhibition/
ōH Concept Store and Creative Chester
A brand-new platform has been created by a collective of seriously talented and Chester-loving people called Creative Chester. You can find this new movement at ōH Concept Store on Lower Bridge Street, but its artistic tentacles will reach right across the city before too long, ensuring that as many people as possible are able to get involved and enjoy as many of our local artists, makers and creators as possible.
Creative Chester will curate the fringe events for the Winter’s Chester Contemporary biennial.
ōH Concept Store June events include:
– Photography Workshop with Mary Hill on Tuesday 20th June
– Good Food Yogi; Balanced Gut For Balanced Mind on Friday 23rd June (6.30pm til 9.30pm)
– Artist John O’Loughlin Introduction Display – weekend 17th & 18th Just pop in.
– Woodspring Co. Candle Making Workshop on Saturday 24th June from 10am
– Sunday Grooves with Good Food Yogi on Sunday 25th June (and again on Sunday 16th July).
– Forest & Clay Introduction – handcrafted pottery and furniture studio based in Cheshire. Just pop in.
– Anne Byrne, introduced by Modern Art Chester & oH – Friday 30th June to Sunday 2nd More info coming soon…
https://www.ohconcept.store/creative-chester
Survivor’s Art Exhibition
We are also looking forward to the Survivor Art Exhibition hosted by Chester University and local charity Chester Women’s Aid at St Mary’s Creative Space, 13th 15th June from 10am til 2pm.
Reserve your free space here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/survivor-art-exhibition-tickets-570526840137
LIVE MUSIC
Paul Pashley’s Big Band Experience
Saturday 24th June
We are all super excited about Paul Pashley’s Big Band Experience at the Queen of Chester Hotel on 24thJune. Tickets are £35 each and include dinner and a welcome drink.
Click here to find out more
Many of our favourite bars have the best local bands playing at weekends. Catch some great gigs every Friday evening at The Lock Keeper, Northgate’s, The Botanist, Duttons, New Chester Market, Jax Bar and Assembly Bar (also on a Saturday), and Providence Gin Bar on Saturdays too. Gospel Sundays at Opera Grill are always absolutely fantastic! (double check dates it’s on though as they do take breaks throughout the year). And for a real treat, don’t miss the all-new Jazz nights at Neighbourhood Bakehouse on Friday 26th and Sunday 25th June.
Alexander’s is undoubtedly the spiritual home of live music in Chester, and some of the best tribute bands in the UK. This month you can see The Devout – Depeche Mode tribute on 8th June, The Killaz UK on 17th June and Crowded Scouse on 24th June. The Blow Monkeys (the real thing!) play on 22nd June and it’s POPFEST this Saturday 10th June with tributes to Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, McBusted, Little Mix and Ed Sheeran.
Click here for more info and tickets
COMEDY
The best comedy nights can be found at Alexander’s every Friday. They can be quite blue (our favourite kind so not family-friendly!) and watch out for the surprise tickets, as they do get some massive names testing new material out on smaller audiences.
Click here to find out more
STORYHOUSE – THEATRE & MUSIC
As always, there are some real treats at Storyhouse this month:
Stacey Dooley at Storyhouse
6th June
Stacey Dooley has firmly established herself as one of the most recognisable faces on British TV. Alongside her hugely popular BBC investigative series, in which she covered a diverse range of topics from across the world, the documentary maker and author of the Sunday Times bestseller, On the Frontline with the Women Who Fight Back, is also the presenter of BBC1’s This Is My House; BBC2’s DNA; Glow Up for BBC3, and W’s Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over – and lest we forget, our 2018 Strictly champion.
Click here to find out more
Stuart Maconie at Storyhouse
8th June
Join Stuart Maconie at Storyhouse for the first time as he discusses his new book The Full English, taking us on an enlightening, entertaining journey through England, from Bristol’s Banksy to Durham’s beaches, from Cotswolds corduroy to Stoke’s oatcakes.
Stuart will discuss the questions he asks in his book: What kind of country is England today? What does it mean to be English?
Click here for more info & tickets
The Gods, The Gods, The Gods
9th June
Performed as a 12 track album, The Gods, The Gods, The Gods is an exhilarating weave of big beats, heavy basslines, soaring melodies and heart-stopping spoken word.
Click here for more info & tickets
The Ronnie Scott story at Storyhouse
10th June
Direct from London’s world-famous jazz club and combining world class live jazz, narration and rare archive photos and video footage, The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, led by the club’s musical director, celebrate The Ronnie Scott’s Story.
Mixing classic music from the jazz greats who have performed at Ronnie Scott’s over its incredible 60+ year history, alongside tales of old Soho, miscreant musicians and police raids, this is a unique evening celebrating one of the world’s most famous jazz venues, its music, and history.
Click here to find out more
Northern Chamber Orchestra at Storyhouse
18th June
Northern Chamber Orchestra return to the Storyhouse following a successful series of string quartet performances in 2022. They are joined by Chester Festival Chorus in an uplifting concert celebrating visionary composers throughout musical history, from Hildegard von Bingen’s 12th century plainchant Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans, through to James MacMillan’s O Radiant Dawn from 2007.
Click here to find out more
An Audience with Manchester Legends at Storyhouse
28th June
The ultimate evening of Manchester United legends with Bryan Robson and Brian McClair LIVE on stage together hosted by Jed Stone. The evening will be full of entertainment and banter as you can well expect, so sit back and enjoy!
Click here to find out more
FOOD & DRINK
If you’re a super foodie (like us!), then there is plenty of delicious food & drink events to surprise and delight this June. Here are a few of our top picks:
Pinot Tasting at Vin Santo
7th June
No other grape makes wine nerds wax lyrical and lose themselves in reveries quite like Pinot Noir. Join us as we taste Pinot from six different countries and see how this beguiling and mercurial grape expresses itself in different parts of the world of wine.
Click here to find out more and to book
Gusbourne Estate Gourmet Dinner at Arkle
15th June
Arrive to a selection of canapés with a glass of Gusbourne English sparkling wine, followed by an exquisite four course seasonal set menu and accompanying wines from the Gusbourne collection.
Click here to find out more
Foodie Family Chester Heritage Tour
17th June
This walk with 4 food and drink stops is an ideal family foodie fun and learning experience, guided throughout by a passionate and experienced local guide.
Part of the Chester Heritage Festival
Click here to find out more
Penhaligon’s Tasting Dinner at The Forge
The Forge is collaborating with Penhaligon’s to bring you a dining experience like no other, expertly designed, the 5-course menu features ingredients used in their perfumes.
Head Chef Dan Regan will guide you through the menu explaining all about your food and why he paired it with the ingredients while Penhaligons will take you through their scents that we have paired with the dishes being served!
Don’t forget your goodie bag on the way out.
Click here to find out more
OUR FAVOURITE QUIZ NIGHTS
Wednesdays – The Ship Inn
Thursdays – The Lock Keeper and The Pied Bull
Gavin & Stacey themed special quiz – Thursday 8th June – The Chester Fields
Charity Quiz at Ring O’Bells – Thursday 15th June
Pub Quiz & Pie Cruise on board Chester Boats – Friday 16th June
Big Quiz at The Brewery Tap – Wednesday 28th June
Click here and then search Quiz Nights for the full list
COMING UP
Deva Fest – Cheshire’s top Music, Food & Lifestyle Festival at Cholmondeley Castle 11th to 13th August
Grosvenor Open Air Theatre – Starts with A Midsummer Night’s Dream on 1st July
Chester CAMRA Real Ale Festival Friday 30th June – 4pm – 11pm / Saturday 1st July – noon – 8pm / Saturday 1st July – 6pm – 11pm
Doggy Brunch at Hickory’s Smokehouse Chester – 2nd July 2023
Grosvenor Eaton Estate Open Day – 2nd July
Moonlight Flicks at Chester Cathedral – from 14th July
