Espresso yourself: Chorlton Coffee Festival

Across Chorlton, and indeed all of Greater Manchester, there has been a recent swathe of beer and cider festivals, prompting many a good old-fashioned all-day drinkathons. One woman who hopes to change all that is Lorelei Loveridge as she launches the first Chorlton Coffee Festival this month. A Canadian-born singer/songwriter and community leader, Loveridge has travelled the world of coffee and now hopes to spread a little bit of the café culture throughout southern Manchester. With over 30 cafes, bars and restaurants all getting involved, the three-day festival will be holding talks (including one helpfully entitled ‘What the Hell is Café Culture anyway?’), live musical performances, a comedy night called Bean Laughing, cycling demonstrations and much more, this festival seems amped up on some kind of perculator. Keep up to date with all the goings on via their informative website, which features short films and info on the coffees and cafes involved.

Fri 28 – Sun 30 Jun, Festival hub, Chorlton Central Church, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 8BF, various cafes and bars around Chorlton, mostly FREE, £3/£1 for events held in the hub, www.chorltoncoffeefestival.com