Northwich Piña Colada Festival

August 2026 - If you ask most people who Rupert Holmes is, you’ll probably get a blank look, but if you start to sing the first line of his biggest hit, then they’ll more than likely be able to finish it off.

Pretty much known by one song only, although he did have others, Holmes wrote one of the biggest hits of 1979 - a mere 47 years ago, if you must count - it reached No. 1 in the US, but only No. 23 here, and didn’t even make the list of Top 100 Best Selling Songs of the Year - but it’s more remembered than most of those that did.

Now, all this is well and good, but why does a small (ish) town in Cheshire, known more for it’s salt production, and the kind that gets spread over the roads in winter, more than the food seasoning, choose to celebrate said tune each year with a festival? Well, Rupert Holmes was actually born in the town, back in 1947, and lived there until he was six, until his parents emigrated to the States.

For this sort of thing to happen, it’s either the mad idea of someone who’s been fuelled by alcohol or it’s posted on social media and goes viral - which is what happened here. The former could also have happened but I have no proof ! Local resident Tom Barrow came across this nugget of information and posted it on social media suggesting that Northwich holds a festival to celebrate it.

Northwich, like the rest of the world was coming out of the hideous Covid era and all of its lockdowns. Businesses needed to reboot themselves, and pretty much everyone needed a reason, any reason to party, lighten up a bit, and return to normality - whatever that meant - so, as mad of an idea as it may hue been, one thing led to another, the whole town got behind it, and this year it celebrates its fifth birthday.

It’s the third week of August and the kids are about to go back to school, or think about it anyway, and Northwich has been dressed up like a scene from any half decent holiday resort by the sea; and one song is blasting out from many places on the high street, “If you like Piña Colada…”.

There is more than a party atmosphere in the air and it feels like the Caribbean has truly landed in Cheshire. There are pineapples everywhere you look and there’s many an Hawaiian shirt on show - even on the odd poodle and dachshund. There are plenty of street stalls with the obligatory burger and hot dog on offer, as well as a few concoctions that made me wonder. Fussy eaters take note.

Its very much a family orientated event too, and someone even went to the trouble of dumping a few tonne of sand in place (designated the urban beach) for the kids to build sandcastles in, and not to forget some of the biggest deckchairs I’ve ever seen, to chill out in and catch a few rays of sun - of which there weren’t many to be had, but it didn’t stop anyone anyway.

Fuelled by many piña colada, with or without alcohol, the party atmosphere was everywhere. This was Northwich’s big day and people were going to make the most of it. The big event of the day is normally the parade, but today there would be a twist in the tail, but no one knew that. The parade itself started in Barons Quay, street performers, stilt walkers, and the official pineapple mascot had all gathered together ready to hit the town. Even Cheshire Police were there with their own cuddly / furry version giving it large with the high fives - but then came the drums, and how they came. Dozens of them, colourfully dressed in their red, white and black outfits, carrying every size of drum possible, all lined up side by side, and after each line, there came another and another. The drummers from Batala Mundo were here to make their mark and how they did.

Samba rhythms got everyone moving as the throng of performers headed through the town, creating an intoxicating blend of inclusion and equality, all the way down to the River Weaver, where they rested and got their breaths back for a short while and took part in a million photographs - as did all the performers - before heading back from whence they came, just for the sheer pleasure of it.

Now, if that isn’t enough - and normally it would be - that twist in the tail that I mentioned earlier, came in the form of the man himself. The one and only Rupert Holmes put in an appearance for the first time, leading a hefty crowd that had gathered in Apple Market Place, in a rendition of the hit that has now surely, become the towns theme tune, and if many didn’t know the words to the verses, they certainly knew the words to the chorus and the strains of “If you like Piña Colada…” must have been heard for miles around. It was a brilliant way to end a brilliant day.

Now, if all this sounds right up your street, you might be interested to know they’re doing it all again next year on 21st August, and you can keep up with all the latest news by clicking here…

You can see more images from the Northwich Pina Colada Festival by clicking here...