Entertainment and Sport

Entertainment

Students find it easy to become part of the rich cultural life of the city. The city of Chester itself has a long and fascinating history, from its beginnings as a Roman fortress 2,000 years ago to the vibrant modern city of today. Chester is one of Britain’s leading tourist centres, welcoming about six million visitors each year from all over the world. Chester offers a year-round programme of arts and entertainment, including festivals, street events, exhibitions, performing arts and public art. The Summer Music Festival welcomes international stars and classical artists to large open-air concerts in the park, while the Jazz and Fringe festivals bring jazz and acoustic sets to a host of venues across the city. Chester Races remains one of the major highlights in the regional sporting and social calendar.

Local theatres offer a varied programme and film buffs can choose from general releases at large multiplex cinemas, or foreign, art house and classic films shown at the Chester Film Society.

Warrington’s cultural quarter is based around the Queens Gardens in Palmyra Square. It includes Parr Hall, Warrington’s premier live entertainment venue, which plays host to a variety of live entertainment, including concerts, theatre and variety shows. The Pyramid, Warrington’s newest and leading centre for the arts, hosts a diverse schedule of performances including drama, cabaret, and comedy, including monthly visits from the Comedy Store and the annual Warrington Film Festival.

Find out more about events and attractions in What’s on.

Sport

For football enthusiasts, Chester is ideally placed, halfway between the famous premier league football clubs of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City. Chester Racecourse offers regular meetings, and the Grand National horse-race is run at Aintree, in Liverpool, each year. For the active sports enthusiast, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in cricket, rugby, football, swimming, hockey and netball. Our fitness suite was refurbished recently, and opened by the famous England football player, Michael Owen.

Warrington’s rugby league team, Warrington Wolves, is one of the top rugby league clubs in the UK and has just moved to a new state-of-the-art stadium. Wolves annually challenge for honours, with their greatest player being the legendary Brian Bevan, the scorer of the highest number of tries in either rugby code. Sport is part of the culture in Warrington, with basketball, gymnastics, rowing, athletics, martial arts, golf, tennis and football clubs and associations.

Find out more about Sport and recreation at Chester University.