It’s a tricky business, that ice skating lark, but it’s a right laugh for all and there are loads of rinks popping up in Manchester.
Beginners, professionals or clowns – there’s room for all on the city’s festive rinks.
Whether you stack it a billion times or are looking at Olympic gold, we’re just here to point you in the right direction.
Keep reading for our list of ice-rinks to visit with your nearest and dearest this Christmas.
They’re not here all year so catch them while you can!
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Boutique Ice Rink in the sky
Escape to Freight Island
An indoor ice rink has been added at Escape to Freight Island.
You can count on Freight Island to get ‘fun’ just right and this winter season they’ve knocked it out the ice-rink.
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Skate around on a mezzanine floor overlooking the buzzing festivities of Winter Island. Open all day, every day, its endless fun for all the family.
Sessions run every hour from 4pm to 10pm and adult tickets are £13 – upgrade to £15 and enjoy a Bratwurst or Hog Roast after.
Skate Manchester
Cathedral Gardens
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Skate Manchester at Cathedral Gardens. Credit: Georgie Glass.
Cathedral Gardens presents a rink for all weathers – particularly for Manchester’s wonderfully unpredictable skies.
Covered by a clear roof and a net of fairy lights it’s hard not to catch festive feelings here.
Serving an enchanting atmosphere for couples, families and friends the rink is sat in the middle of Manchester’s famous Christmas markets.
Grab your tickets online from £13.00 and have a class day out this winter!
Unreal Xmas
Barton Square
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Unreal Xmas at Barton Square. Credit: Publicity picture
An unmissable skating experience. Barton Square will be lit up on December 3 and host Manchester’s coolest ice rink ever.
Skate through a snow-covered forest and lose your friends and family in the ferns – maybe find them again at the two brand-new custom-built bars.
It’s more than just an ice-rink, it will transport you to the ultimate festive fantasy world and some markets to!
Tickets are £13 for 45 minutes and selling fast.
Tinsel Town
Trafford Centre
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It’s your chance to show the Trafford Centre what you’ve been hiding – your impeccable ice moves.
That’s right, ‘Tinsel Town’ is bringing you 600 square metres of ice covered against the elements – the fun cannot be stopped.
Tickets are only £12 so wrap up warm and whack those skates on.
More excited can be had watching Gandey’s production of ‘SNOWSTORM’ a sensational new ice-skating show.
Prepare to be wowed for 90 minutes by a spectacular production of acrobatics by an international cast of circus artistes.
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WinterFunLand
Trafford Centre
The UK’s largest Christmas funfair will be bringing you a gigantic ice-skating rink on December 19.
The ice-rink is wrapped up in a bundle of activities provided at WinterFunLand. Part and parcel with skating are funfair rides, circus shows, a Santa’s grotto and Christmas treats.
One ticket buys all the fun in this winter wonderland – how could you not?
The Clubhouse
Spinningfields
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Clubhouse will soon have its own curling lane
A month-long Christmas party is happening at The Clubhouse decked out with karaoke huts, a giant Christmas tree and curling.
A 10m long curling lane sits in the middle of the festive fun. It’s £60 and you can have up to six people, with drinks delivered to you all night long.
Curling (for those of you who don’t know) is a sport which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a targeted area – we can’t wait.
Featured image: Georgie Glass
What's On
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet at Palace Theatre Manchester – the world’s most famous story expertly reimagined | Review
Emily Sergeant
Every now and then you experience a bit of a full circle moment… and for me, this was one of them.
Back in 2011, when I was a dance-obsessed 14-year-old, taking and assisting classes countless times a week, I became enamoured by a BBC documentary series called Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet. As one of the country’s premier ballet companies – celebrating its 60th anniversary at the time of the documentary – ENB allowed cameras behind the scenes, from the rehearsal room to backstage, giving audiences a previously unseen inside look on what it takes to stage some of the most spectacular productions your eyes will ever meet.
One of the ballets being staged in the year the BBC followed the company was Romeo & Juliet.
Based on a story known around the world and with an unmistakable score by Prokofiev, it’s a ballet I was already fond of prior to the documentary, but seeing the work that went into making the show a reality, up close like never before, it turned into one of my favourites.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to see several different dance stagings of Romeo & Juliet – but last night, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, was the first time I got to sit in the audience and see English National Ballet’s production live with my own eyes.
And it was just as magical as I was hoping it would be.
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet is now on stage at Manchester Palace Theatre / Credit: Laurent Liotardo
Right off the bat, I’m just going to presume you already have somewhat of a grasp on the story of Romeo & Juliet, right? Given the fact it’s arguably Shakespeare’s most famous work and one of the most iconic plays of all time.
And you’ll be pleased to know, even if you’re not seasoned in watching ballet, that the story we all know and love remains largely intact for this production, therefore making it easy for audiences of all ages and interests to follow along and admire.
The two title characters, the star-crossed lovers themselves, were embodied expertly by Rentaro Nakaaki and Julia Conway as Romeo and Juliet, who had the audience captivated from the second they entered the stage – with undeniable chemistry and enviable technique.
Fabian Reimair took on the role of Tybalt with ease, Noam Durand was Mercutio, and Rodrigo Pinto was Benvolio, all while Elvis Nudo and Minju Kang stepped into the shoes of Paris and Rosaline.
But the lead roles are nothing without the wider cast of supporting dancers and character actors, who really help transport you to 14th century Verona and help bring the authenticity a production as epic as this requires.
The world’s most famous story has been expertly reimagined / Credit: Bill Cooper | Laurent Liotardo
Aside from the dancing, it would be remiss not to praise the expert sets and costuming here from Ezio Frigero and Franca Squarciapino.
And I suppose I should also give a shoutout to little-known name, Rudolf Nureyev, who choreographed this version of Romeo & Juliet all the way back in 1977. Something tells me he would’ve had a great career… I could be wrong, though.
Romeo & Juliet really is one of the most tragic love stories of all time, and the power of that is not lost through dance. It’s still as raw and heartbreaking in this production as it always is.
And that is truly a credit to every single person forming part of it – both on the stage and off.
ENB’s Romeo & Juliet is now on stage at Manchester Palace Theatre until Sunday 25 October, and you can book your last-minute tickets here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
What's On
Manchester’s smash-hit Pitbull 5km run is back in town this week
Daisy Jackson
A 5km running event where participants dress up as Pitbull is returning to Manchester this week.
Runners will be donning bald caps, drawing on goatees, and shrugging on their suit jackets as they hit the streets for a very silly run.
The Pitbull Party Run has been organised again this year by Slow Run Club, and Run the Street MCR, who’ll be spurring runners on with plenty of daftness inspired by the man himself.
It’s part of a series of shakeout events taking place all week before the 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness.
The 5km shake-out run will be soundtracked by non-stop Pitbull party anthems from warm-up all the way through the run to the cool-down.
Last year’s event proved to be a massive hit and had dozens of Pitbull look-a-likes running through the streets – so now they’re hoping to make it even bigger for this year.
Runners will meet outside The Tap House in Circle Square from 6.30pm for a warm-up, ready to run from 7pm.
And all participants will get a free Lucky Saint beer to celebrate finishing the race.
24-Hour Run founder Thomas Lewis said: “We’ve got a great programme of events lined up across Greater Manchester.
“These shakeout events are all about bringing local running communities together while spreading the word about the 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness in November.
“The Pitbull party run got a great reception last year, and we’re delighted to be teaming up with Run The Streets MCR and Slow Run Club to put on this event again.”
The Manchester 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness is a charity relay challenge that invites runners of all abilities to take part in a continuous 24-hour relay made up of a 5km loop repeated throughout the 24 hours.
Runners can join for as little or as much as they like, whether it’s one lap or 20. The event takes place from midday on Wednesday 11 November to midday Thursday 12 November.
The 24-Hour Run supports the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s A Bed Every Night scheme, and last year saw cumulative distance of over 16,000 km covered and raised over £70,000 for the charity.
Tickets for the Pitbull Party Run are £3, which all goes to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to support The Manchester 24 Hour Run’s goal of £100,000.
Dolly Busby -
19th November 2021 
