Chill Factore has announced a virtual Santa’s Grotto you can visit from the comfort of your own home this festive season.
There’s no denying Christmas is set to be a little different this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and with social distancing measures in place, but Chill Factore – the UK’s leading indoor snow complex – is “keeping the magic of Christmas alive” by letting children share their Christmas list with Santa via the power of video call.
With the help of some specially-trained elves, Santa has been brought up to date with all the latest technology, and will be available for exclusive live, interactive video calls with you and your little ones to guarantee good tidings.
From 5th – 24th December, Santa and his helpers will be in his magical grotto on Chill Factore’s real snow, before he flies off to make some very important deliveries, and this virtual grotto experience has the capability to dial in multiple callers and have them interacting on the same screen, which means you can safely bring your family together to enjoy the magic.
How brilliant is this?
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You can expect snow fall, mischievous elves and an interactive ‘Naughty – Nice’ometer’ – which measures on screen how good your little ones have been this year – with this live and bespoke call experience to spread festive cheer after a turbulent year.
Your grotto experience will also be recorded and sent to you by Santa’s helpers, so that you and your family can hold on to the memories forever.
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After all, it’s not every day that Santa calls.
And it’s not just homes that Santa will be calling from his magical Chill Factore grotto, as Chill Factore is also working closely with Saint Nick to bring this festive experience to the bedside of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for free, helping to bring Christmas onto the wards and make it a home from home for those children being treated in hospital over the festive season.
Speaking on its new grotto experience, Morwenna Angove – CEO at Chill Factore – said: “We’re thrilled that Santa and his helpers are returning to our real snow slope again this year. Due to COVID-19 regulations, we cannot invite guests into the grotto as usual [so] working with our partners at Prestige Events Enterprises, we have set up these virtual calls so that children will still be able to see Santa safely this year through the power of video – something we’ve all grown to use more in 2020, including Santa.
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“We’re also proud to be working closely with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity), ensuring that children who are in hospital over the festive period still get to see Santa.
“It promises to be a really special experience for the whole family, especially after the uncertainty of 2020.”
Chill Factore
The Santa Calls experience will run from Saturday 5th December – 24th December 2020 and each call will last around five minutes.
The experience can be booked from £20.99.
This price includes the call recording and the option to add multiple callers/screens, so that the whole family can be brought together, and you can also text SANTA to 70125 to donate £2 to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to support seriously ill children this Christmas time.
To book and find out more information, visit the Chill Factore website here.
What's On
Tickets officially go on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Tickets have now officially gone on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester.
Arriving on screens from 18 December and gearing up to be one of the most anticipated films of the year, Dune: Part Three – which is the third and final instalment in director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise – will be screening in IMAX 70mm at Vue Manchester Printworks, one of only three venues to show it in this format nationwide.
There are only 40 other venues across the globe showing the film in IMAX 70mm, and Manchester is the only city outside of London to screen the blockbuster this way too.
Based on the novels of Frank Herbert and set nearly two decades after the previous film, Dune: Part Three features an ensemble cast of all-star names led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
Alongside them will be Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.
After seats for a special early screening of the film in IMAX sold out in less than 30 minutes last month, the IMAX 70mm showings – which officially went live today (20 October) – are expected to be snapped up fast by film fans in Manchester.
“A decade in the making, Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune trilogy is reaching its dramatic conclusion this December,” explained Dean Cross, who is the Senior Screen Content Manager at Vue.
“As the only venue outside of London to be screening Dune: Part Three in IMAX 70mm, it’s a privilege for us to offer this unique way to experience the film.”
Dune: Part Three is coming to Vue Manchester Printworks on 18 December, and you can book your tickets here.
Featured Image – Warner Bros.
What's On
Clubland to celebrate 25 years with huge arena show in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Clubland is heading to Manchester for a special arena-sized anniversary celebration next year.
The Clubland Arena Tour promises a night of the biggest artists and biggest anthems, giving fans the chance to come together for a celebration of the dance music brand.
Celebrating 25 years of Clubland, the tour will stop off at arenas in Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and of course Manchester.
With the event set to take over one of Manchester’s biggest live entertainment venues, anticipation is already building for what promises to be a nostalgic night of club classics and dancefloor favourites – even before the lineup is announced.
The full line-up is expected to be announced very soon, with fans encouraged to keep an eye out for further details.
Previous headliners at Clubland Live have included Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, Ultrabeat, and Vengaboys, always guaranteeing a night of non-stop anthems.
For many dance music fans, Clubland has become synonymous with the sounds that dominated clubs, radio playlists and party nights throughout the 2000s.
Credit: Supplied
Over the years, Clubland has continued to celebrate the artists and songs that helped define an era of dance music, giving fans the chance to experience their favourite tracks live alongside thousands of like-minded clubbers.
From infectious pop-dance hits to harder-hitting electronic anthems, its events tap into a sense of nostalgia while keeping the energy of a night out firmly at the centre of the experience.
The 25th anniversary tour looks set to build on that legacy, bringing a quarter-century of club classics to arenas across the UK.
The Clubland Arena Tour will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 30 April 2027.
Tickets will go on sale on 30 October from 9.30am, but you can also register for the AO Arena presale to get early access to tickets on 29 October from 9.30am.
Emily Sergeant -
16th November 2020 
