If there is one thing every outdoor artist in Manchester learns quickly, it is never to trust the weather forecast.

In the days leading up to Didsbury Festival 2026, the prediction was fairly bleak. Rain seemed inevitable. As someone exhibiting original ink, pencil and watercolour artwork, I spent much of the week glancing nervously at weather apps and imagining months of work dissolving into colourful puddles. Watercolours and Manchester rain have never enjoyed a healthy relationship.

Fortunately, the weather gods showed unexpected kindness.
Although dark clouds hovered overhead for much of the day and the threat of rain never entirely disappeared, the heavens remained closed until packing-up time. Had the forecast materialised, my artwork might have literally wept in the rain. Instead, the ground stayed dry, visitors kept arriving, and what followed became one of the most rewarding days I have experienced as an artist.

Now in its 43rd year, Didsbury Festival remains one of South Manchester's most cherished community events. Organised by the Didsbury Community Association and supported by a dedicated team of local volunteers, the festival brings together residents, families, charities, performers, local businesses and artists in a celebration of community spirit. There is something refreshingly authentic about the event. It feels less like a commercial festival and more like a gathering of neighbours, friends and visitors who genuinely enjoy supporting local creativity.

I had booked and paid for my stall with modest expectations. Like many independent artists, I hoped to recover some of the costs involved in exhibiting while introducing my work to new audiences. Selling artwork is always welcome, of course, but for me the real value of events like these lies in the conversations they create. There is no substitute for standing alongside your work and watching people react to it in real time.

What I hadn't anticipated was just how many people would stop.

Throughout the day, hundreds of visitors paused at my stall. Some smiled immediately as they spotted a familiar scene or visual joke. Others leaned closer, carefully reading the captions beneath the cartoons. Many stayed far longer than I expected, studying individual pieces and discussing them with family members before moving on. Quite a few returned later with friends and relatives, saying things like, "You've got to come and see this one."

One of the most popular pieces on display was my Manchester weather cartoon. The drawing pokes gentle fun at the city's famously unpredictable climate, depicting all four seasons apparently occurring within the space of a single day. The cartoon shows sunshine giving way to rain, rain turning into wind, wind somehow becoming snow before everything returns to sunshine as if nothing unusual had happened.

The irony, of course, was that the weather during the festival seemed determined to prove the cartoon correct. Throughout the day visitors repeatedly glanced at the sky, unsure whether to reach for sunglasses or umbrellas. At one point dark clouds gathered ominously overhead before drifting away moments later, allowing sunshine to return. It was classic Manchester weather behaving exactly as advertised.

People instantly recognised themselves in the cartoon because they recognised their city. One visitor laughed and remarked that it was less a cartoon and more a weather report. Another pointed out that Manchester residents spend so much time discussing the weather because it changes more frequently than some politicians change their opinions.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect of the day was seeing how children engaged with the cartoons. In an age when screens constantly pull at our attention, it was genuinely encouraging to see young visitors slow down and spend time reading. Many carefully worked their way through every line and caption. Some laughed immediately while others paused, thought for a moment and then smiled.

Several children spotted details that adults had completely overlooked.

It reminded me that cartoons are not simply about humour. At their best, they invite curiosity. They encourage people to observe, question and think. Children often do this instinctively, approaching each drawing with an openness and imagination that many adults gradually lose.

One visitor summed up my work in a way that stayed with me long after the festival had ended. After spending several minutes looking through different cartoons, she turned to me and said: "Your cartoons are too deep and made me think without being harsh or controversial. A subtle ode to the world we live in."

I took that as a tremendous compliment.

Much of my work explores modern life through humour, whether the subject is climate change, technology, social media, consumer culture or everyday human behaviour. I’m rarely interested in telling people what they should think.

Instead, I hope to create a moment of reflection hidden inside a moment of laughter. If someone smiles first and thinks afterwards, then the cartoon has probably done its job.

That is why events such as Didsbury Festival matter. They provide opportunities for genuine human connection. In a world increasingly dominated by digital interactions, there is something refreshing about seeing people engage with creativity face-to-face.

As the afternoon drew to a close, the rain finally arrived. Thankfully, by then the artwork had been safely packed away. The watercolours survived intact, the cartoons escaped unharmed, and Manchester had once again demonstrated its unique ability to keep everyone guessing until the very last moment.

Looking back, however, the weather is not what I will remember most. What stays with me are the conversations, the laughter, the thoughtful observations and the hundreds of people who stopped to engage with my work. Some purchased artwork, most of them simply shared a smile, and others left with a new perspective on something they had perhaps never thought about before.

For an artist, that is worth far more than a sunny forecast.

For more about his work, exhibitions, and creative projects, click here.