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Manchester Evening News

Popular garden centre and café says it will close this weekend due to Parklife

'Sorry for any inconvenience'

A popular garden centre and cafe in Heaton Park has made the decision to close during the Parklife festival
A popular garden centre and cafe in Heaton Park has made the decision to close during the Parklife festival(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)

A popular garden centre in Greater Manchester has announced it will be closing this weekend due to a series of events, including Parklife, taking place.

Heaton Park Garden Centre, which is set within the huge 600-acre park, will not open for three days as the space hosts a gig from Catfish and the Bottlemen on Friday (June 13) and then Parklife on Saturday and Sunday.


Bosses at the Prestwich venue have said the garden centre, and its café, will be closed between Friday and Sunday, but will reopen again with ‘normal service’ from Monday (June 16).


In a message to customers, staff apologies for ‘any inconvenience’ and thanked people for their support. The post on social media said: “PARKLIFE WEEKEND!!! Unfortunately… .both the Garden Centre and the Coffee Shop will be closed the 13th, 14th & 15th June.

“Normal service will resume on Monday 16th. Sorry for any inconvenience and as always we thank you for your continued support.”

Parklife will be returning to Heaton Park this Saturday and Sunday
Parklife will be returning to Heaton Park this Saturday and Sunday(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
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Because of the large-scale events, a number of road closures will be in place around Heaton Park and the surrounding area, including Prestwich and Middleton.

There will also be bus diversions in place as a result, with public transport also set to be busier than normal.

The garden centre is set within the grounds of an original 18th-century walled garden which was used to supply fruit and vegetables to the whole Heaton Park estate.


Alongside the shop and café, it is also home to the Hidden Gem gift shop, which features an abundance of quirky items as well as incense, candles, jewellery and ornaments.

The garden centre's café is also unique in the sense that it features an outside seating area tucked away within a greenhouse surrounded by plants, including a grape vine, which has been growing at the site for more than 800 years now.

The Hidden Gem Cafe's greenhouse seating area at Heaton Park Garden Centre
The Hidden Gem Cafe's greenhouse seating area at Heaton Park Garden Centre(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
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In a recent review of the Hidden Gem Coffee House, the café was praised for its indoor lilac floral mural-setting, which was described as being perfect for Afternoon Tea and the menu's other delights.

Earlier this week, a Prestwich restaurant announced that it would also be closed this weekend due to Parklife. Bosses of the venue said they had been left with ‘no option’ but to make the move following the increased volume of people in the area.

This year’s Parklife will be headlined by 50 Cent and Charli XCX, with the likes of Jorja Smith, Bicep, Confidence Man, and Peggy Gou also set to take to the stage across the two days of live music. If you are heading to Parklife this year, we've rounded up everything you need to know here.

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