Chester has a busy one this weekend: Storyhouse is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, the Carriage Shed has beer festival duties, the Market has live music, and Sunday morning belongs to the runners. As ever, the trick is not trying to do everything. That way lies sore feet and a regrettable second pint.
Quick picks
- Best Friday night: John Barrowman at Storyhouse, or Family Jools at Telford’s if you want cheaper live music.
- Best Saturday daytime: Taste Cheshire Farmers Market outside the Town Hall, followed by Chester Craft Beer Festival if your plans are moving in that direction.
- Best family option: The Parent Trap at Storyhouse, with Crafty Weekends from noon.
- Best Sunday spectacle: Essar Chester Half Marathon. You may not be running it, but you will probably notice it.
- Best Sunday night: Lenny Henry at Storyhouse.
Friday 15 May
Regalia Talk hosted by the Sheriff of Chester
- Where: Chester Town Hall
- When: Friday 15 May, 1pm
- Price: Check with venue
- Check/book: Eventbrite
A civic heritage option if you want the weekend to start with robes, regalia and Chester being extremely Chester.
John Barrowman: My Life in Musicals
- Where: Storyhouse, Main Theatre
- When: Friday 15 May, 7.30pm
- Price: Members £28.95-£37.95; non-members £32-£42
- Check/book: Storyhouse
A big Friday night Storyhouse booking for musical theatre fans. Not exactly under the radar, but sometimes the obvious one is obvious for a reason.
Storyhouse — Storyhouse is doing a lot of work this weekend: theatre, cinema, talks, family film and the Literature Festival all in one building.
Primavera
- Where: Storyhouse Cinema
- When: Friday 15 May, 6pm; Saturday 16 May, 3.45pm
- Price: From £9.90; members £8.90; Young Storyhouse Card £5
- Check/book: Storyhouse
An Italian cinema option at Storyhouse if you want a quieter start to the weekend and fewer people singing show tunes.
Family Jools
- Where: Telford’s Warehouse
- When: Friday 15 May, 8pm-11.30pm
- Price: £4
- Check/book: Telford’s Warehouse
Indie and alt-rock at Telford’s for four quid. That is still one of the more sensible Friday night offers in Chester.
Telford's Warehouse — Canal-side, reliably useful, and one of Chester's best answers to 'where now?' after the sensible part of the evening has ended.
Stephen Lockhart
- Where: Chester Market
- When: Friday 15 May, 7.30pm
- Price: Check with venue
- Check/book: Chester Market
Live music at Chester Market on Friday evening. Handy if you want food, drinks and music in one place without negotiating a six-stop pub route.
Friday Night Comedy
- Where: Alexander’s Live
- When: Friday 15 May, 8pm
- Price: From £14.20
- Check/book: See Tickets
A straightforward Friday night comedy option at Alexander’s. Good if you want a proper night out but do not want to overthink it.
Saturday 16 May
Taste Cheshire Farmers Market
- Where: Outside Chester Town Hall, Northgate Street
- When: Saturday 16 May, 9.30am-4.30pm
- Price: Free entry
- Check/book: Pedddle
A good Saturday wander: local produce, stalls, and the high possibility of going home with something you did not technically need.
Chester Craft Beer Festival
- Where: The Carriage Shed, City Place
- When: Saturday 16 May, 11.30am-4pm and 5pm-9.30pm sessions
- Price: From £12.50
- Check/book: Carriage Shed or Eventbrite
The main food-and-drink event of the weekend. Craft beer, street food, live music, and the useful bonus of being right by the station.
The Parent Trap
- Where: Storyhouse Cinema
- When: Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May, 10.30am
- Price: From £4; members £3.60
- Check/book: Storyhouse
A cheap family cinema option. Sensible timing, central location, and a strong choice if the weather does anything irritating.
Crafty Weekends
- Where: Storyhouse
- When: Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May, from noon
- Price: Free
- Check/book: Storyhouse
Free crafts at Storyhouse from noon. Useful as a bolt-on to the cinema, or as a low-effort family stop in its own right.
The Greatest MUSICALS Daytime Disco
- Where: Rosies Chester
- When: Saturday 16 May, 1pm-5pm
- Price: From £16.20
- Check/book: Skiddle
A daytime disco at Rosies built around musicals. It is very much a “you know who you are” event.
Tower Tour
- Where: Chester Cathedral
- When: Saturday 16 May, 11am
- Price: Check with venue
- Check/book: Chester Cathedral
A Cathedral tower tour is a good Chester thing to do when you want the city from a different angle. Check the venue for price and booking details.
Ultrabeat - Courtyard Special
- Where: Alexander’s Live
- When: Saturday 16 May, 8pm
- Price: From £15.30
- Check/book: See Tickets or Ents24
Saturday night dance energy at Alexander’s. Not one for a quiet pint, but that is probably not the point.
Sunday 17 May
Essar Chester Half Marathon
- Where: Starts at Chester Racecourse; city-centre route and finish
- When: Sunday 17 May, 9am
- Price: Sold out for 2026
- Check/book: Race information
The main race is sold out, but Sunday morning should still be worth watching if you are in town. Expect runners, spectators, and a bit of city-centre disruption.
Chester Racecourse — Racecourse starts are handy for atmosphere and slightly less handy if you expected Sunday traffic to behave itself.
Essar Chester Half Marathon Fun Run
- Where: Chester Racecourse
- When: Sunday 17 May, 9.20am
- Price: £10 including £1 charity donation
- Check/book: Nifty Entries
A shorter, family-friendlier option linked to the half marathon weekend. Useful if someone wants to take part without committing to the full Sunday-morning suffering package.
Andrea McLean: Shameless
- Where: Storyhouse, Garret Theatre
- When: Sunday 17 May, 2pm
- Price: Members £10.50; non-members £11.50; book pre-order £16.99
- Check/book: Storyhouse
A Sunday afternoon Chester Literature Festival event at Storyhouse. Sensible timing, sensible price, and a lot less noisy than most of Saturday.
Sunday Sessions with April Kirk
- Where: Telford’s Warehouse
- When: Sunday 17 May, 8pm-10pm
- Price: Check with venue
- Check/book: Telford’s Warehouse
A Sunday evening live music option at Telford’s. One for people refusing to let the weekend end politely.
Lenny Henry: Still At Large
- Where: Storyhouse, Main Theatre
- When: Sunday 17 May, 7.30pm
- Price: Members £32.10-£41.10; non-members £35.50-£45.50
- Check/book: Storyhouse
A strong Sunday night finish at Storyhouse, and probably the headline Chester Literature Festival pick of the day.
Ongoing exhibitions and rainy-day fallbacks
Threads Through the Bible
- Where: Chester Cathedral
- When: Friday 15 to Sunday 17 May, during Cathedral hours
- Price: No booking required
- Check/book: Chester Cathedral
A quieter Cathedral exhibition option if you want something reflective, cultural, and not dependent on a fixed performance time.
Final reminder
Before you head out, check the venue or ticket page for the latest times, prices and availability. Chester is compact, but it is still perfectly capable of catching you out with sold-out shows, changed timings, and the occasional “why is the road closed?” Sunday morning.
