In the dark but exciting times of 2013, people used to say Chester was a “ghost town”, and that there was nothing to do. Some people still say it today. Back then you could get plenty of mileage from the lyrics of Del Amitri’s “Nothing ever Happens” attached to a melancholy street scene. There’s the boarded up Odeon, the Northgate development will never happen, the Shot Tower is crumbling to bits, the market roof is leaking.

Fast forward a decade and Chester has changed for the better, despite the decline of retail with more things to do and more places to go. Last year, multi screen cinema returned to the city centre after an absence of 16 years. Bowling returned to the retail park with a 28 lane offer a decade after the previous venue was replace by an ASDA. Love it or hate it, the New Market is as busy as ever.

Alongside these additions we have seen a packed summer of cultural activity showing that the Chester has upped its game and as a chronicler of city life its been a hectic summer keeping up with everything going on.

Del Amitri songwriter Justin Currie described his classic as “kind of a list song” . Here’s my list blog of all the great stuff we’ve seen in Chester this summer. Apologies to any I’ve forgotten.

June saw the first ever Green weekend, alongside the Active Travel Fest organised by an alliance of groups dedicated to making Chester more sustainable and progressive . The Heritage Festival followed the following week, with the usual range of talks, walks and exhibitions. A fun but simple new innovation was Roman Zumba in the amphitheatre with the music from Gladiator adding to the ambience; definitely what the Romans would have wanted. The Minstrels Court inside the St John’s Church offered some top tunes from the years long gone by in a serene and historic setting.

The Midsummer parade was a personal highlight. After many years of spectating I joined the pirate crew to experience the event from another perspective waving my plastic cutlass as the new pirate ship navigated through the crowds. Following in quick succession was a re-energised Raft Race and a much bigger Disability Pride.

The very first Festival of Ideas organised by The University and partners attracted more than 1000 visitors to a range of talks and discussions at the Town Hall and other venues. I attended an inspiring talk by Dame Floella Benjamin, speaking about her the challenges she had overcome in life. Getting to meet her and Humpty at the end was a cool addition to this free event.

The Heritage Festival returned at the end of July with a summer celebration at Picturehouse and Exchange Square. More free activities for all, with the square populated by the parade giants, an art bus, a medieval Doctor and further things to discover inside the cinema itself. This is what Chester can do brilliantly- in attendance were local artists and staff from the Grosvenor Museum showcasing artefacts found in previous excavations of the site.

Exchange Square has swiftly become a key location for activities- in recent months I’ve seen Hungarian dancing, stunt bikes and salsa dancers- all adding to the city centre buzz. The regular Makers Market as well as the established Taste Cheshire Market have all generated a bustling atmosphere in the Northgate area.

Chester Cathedral welcomed the return of Pete Waterman and friends model railway display alongside 2 light themed installations from the artist Liz West.

Last weekend saw the return of the Dinosaurs for the third year in a row (another free family event) , an anti racism protest, and a Rum and Reggae festival at Alexanders. At nearby Cholmondeley Castle, Deva Fest welcomed nearly 20,000 guests who enjoyed music from The Human League, The Coral and Ocean Colour Scene.

Joining the cultural mix also this summer were, The Hole in Wand mini golf (on the third best street) AX Haus and Chester Viking tours. We also had 2 comic cons- one at the Racecourse and one in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. The Grosvenor Centre also welcomed the international street art star Mr Brainwash for a one week exhibition. Storyhouse’s Theatre in the Park continued its excellent run of shows and amateur groups like Tip Top Productions and Against the Grain continued to prosper. Finally a special mention to Breakout Chester– coming up to their 8th birthday- the team enjoyed escaping from prison and pulling Excalibur out of its stone!

We all know things aren’t perfect here, but no one can ever say theres nothing to do here anymore. We have all of these organised events against the backdrop of a city which always has something new on offer.