Free family film screenings, summer trails for both adults and children, food fiestas and the Watergate Street Festival are all taking place this summer in Chester

City-wide trails, including ‘Look Up Chester’ for families with older children and ‘Blooming Brilliant’ for youngsters, launch next week and will see 50 businesses throughout Chester hide fun facts in their stores for families to find

With the summer holidays almost upon us, CH1ChesterBID has announced the launch of a nature-themed programme of activities to help keep families entertained during the six-week break.

The BID’s summer campaign launches on Thursday, July 25, with two city-wide trails themed around butterflies and bumblebees flying into Chester city centre.

The children’s ‘Blooming Brilliant’ trail encourages budding nature lovers to visit 50 of Chester’s most popular stores and restaurants to discover fun facts about the native bees, butterflies and flowers they love, which are closely linked to the spectacular floral displays installed earlier this year.

For every 10 facts found, children are entered into a prize draw to win a £50 toy bundle from The Entertainer toy shop in Chester.

For families with older children the ‘Look Up Chester’ trail encourages them to explore the city’s newly installed catenaries, which decorate Bridge Street, Eastgate Street, Foregate Street, Frodsham Street, Northgate Street, St Werburgh Street and Watergate Street.

The colourful decorations depict a range of flowers with bees and butterflies, which provide clues to help complete the trail questionnaire, with one lucky winner winning £100 to spend in Chester.

Entry forms for both trails can be downloaded from experiencechester.co.uk or can be picked up from the Visitor Information Centre on Town Hall Square or any of the participating businesses.

Other family-themed activities include free film screenings at the Grosvenor Museum, with The Lorax and Over the Hedge both showing several times during the summer. For those who prefer hands-on activities, the Grosvenor Shopping Centre is aiming to make Chester a bee-friendly city and will be hosting eco-friendly giveaways and competitions, plus a giant bee art installation and a soft play area with a giant ball pool.

Children can also journey beneath the waves at a world-first exhibition made with LEGO® bricks – the DEEP – featuring over eighty hand-built LEGO® brick statues at Chester Cathedral. Visitors can come face-to-face with a giant squid, a life-size Mako shark and angler fish to name just a few of the exhibits on show.

Emily Ghazarian, Events Manager at CH1ChesterBID said: “This summer sees our biggest ever summer campaign taking place, with activities and events to suit the whole family.

CH1 Bid Last year’s summer activities proved popular with adults and children with the 2019 programme offering more events and competitions Chester.com

“We’ve designed a six-week programme which is focused on giving shoppers, visitors and diners a reason to come into the city centre and spend several hours exploring not only the beauty of Chester but also our fantastic range of businesses.

“The summer campaign has been incredibly exciting to plan this year, and we’re fortunate to have worked with some great local businesses and organisations to pull it all together and create a unique experience in the North West. We’re now looking forward to the campaign launching next week. It’s a great part of our job as a BID watching Cestrians and visitors make the most the of the activities, celebrations and atmosphere throughout the city centre.”

The popular Watergate Street Festival is also returning for the second year. The street party which is taking place on Saturday, August 17, brings together the street’s eclectic mix of retailers for a day of live music, crafts, games, giveaways and competitions. The day was well-loved last year, with a jam-packed programme organised by the city’s independent businesses. Chester Zoo will also be attending the festival and delivering wildlife workshops for children.

CH1 Bid Free family film screenings summer trails for both adults and children food fiestas and the Watergate Street Festival are all taking place this summer in Chester Chester.com

For more information about all the Summer in the City events and activities taking place in Chester city centre, visitwww.experiencechester.co.uk or follow @CH1Chester on Twitter.