Dunham Massey’s magical festive light trail is back this Christmas, and more dates have just been added due to popular demand.
Having returned to the grounds of the Altrincham-based National Trust property for the sixth year running now, Christmas at Dunham Massey is back for 2022 with what’s already being described as a “must-see magical festive trail”.
It’s bringing the garden to life with “a million twinkling lights” and “seasonal sounds”.
By making your way around the picturesque park, you can expect to discover sparkling tunnels, giant baubles, and glistening trees drenched in colour.
If you’ve ever been to the beloved trail before, then you may recognise some of the returning light sculptures, including the larger-than-life illuminated reindeers which are made up of countless festive fairy lights, as well as the fan-favourite walkthrough Tunnel of Light, which is a spellbinding experience all on its own.
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Dunham Massey’s magical festive light trail is back this Christmas / Credit: Dunham Massey
You can also be mesmerised by flickering flames in the fire garden, stand in awe of the dancing waterside reflections, and keep an eye out for Father Christmas along the way too.
There’s also some new additions to the trail this year too, including the Gladioli Tunnel – which is a new installation by UK-based arts collective Jigantics that features “lit arches of multicoloured flowers bathe visitors in a myriad of different lights”.
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As well as the light trail, the grounds are also home to a whole host of talented independent street food vendors who are serving up plenty of delicious dishes like burgers, hot dogs, pizzas, and Greek souvlaki and gyros, as well as tempting sweet treats and drinks like spiced winter warmers, hot chocolates, toasted marshmallows, and so much more to complete your walk under the stars.
More ticket dates have just been added due to popular demand / Credit: Dunham Massey
Designed for all ages to enjoy, and with sessions starting as soon as the sun goes down from 4:30pm, the 90-minute Christmas at Dunham Massey trail is running right through to the new year on 2 January, and tickets are now available.
Each timed entry to the trail has a limited capacity, and the early evening and weekend slots are likely to sell out quickly.
Neighbourhood Festival 2024 Guide – tickets, lineup, stage splits and everything you need to know
Danny Jones
Manc music lovers and all those new to the city, feel free to do a cartwheel of sheer excitement because one of our favourite dates on the calendar just rolled around: Neighbourhood Festival is back for 2024 and we’re here to guide you through the jam-packed day.
The much-loved noon-until-night event is Manchester’s biggest multi-venue music festival and is returning after a year off and you best believe we’ve missed it like mad. Roll on Saturday.
With more than a dozen venues to be enjoyed and over 100 artists to choose from, the only problem you’re going to face is trying to cram all your favourites into 24 hours.
But don’t worry, that’s where people like us come in. We’ve put together a helpful guide full of important info about Neighbourhood Fest 2024; from ticket prices and those pesky stage splits to where you can pick up your wristbands, we’ve got everything you need to know. Let’s have it, shall we?
Are there still tickets left for Neighbourhood Festival?
First off, if you’re wondering if you can still grab a last-minute day pass to NBHD 2024 then you’re in luck because there’s still a wave of tickets left.
Early bird and the first tiers have inevitably sold out (it’s pretty popular this thing…) but if you’re willing to pay a few more pennies, you can still grab a third-tier wristband that will cost you just £43.45. Now that’s some seriously good value for money given the amount of talent on show.
You can pay an extra couple of quid to protect your tickets too and accessible passes also come with a plus one as part of the same price – a nice touch. You can grab your Neighbourhood tickets HERE.
NBHD Lineup 2024
Egyptian-born alt-pop phenom, NxdiaFast-growing indie rockers, The SheratonsTwo of the first and most exciting acts of the day. (Credit: Press Images – Supplied)
As for who you’re going to be seeing at this year’s city centre festival, the Neighbourhood lineup is just as good as any year.
With the likes of Sam Fender, Pulp, Sundara Karma, Paul Heaton; The Kooks, Self Esteem, The Wombats and countless other top names having played the event in the past, they always have a job on their hands topping the year previous.
Luckily, with local acts such as Corella, Seb Lowe and Antony Szmeirek all playing big stages, not to mention other favourites like The Academic, Red Rum Club, The Sheratons lot from Leeds, and the returning Brooke Combe bolstering the all-day music festival, they’re not exactly struggling for talent.
Even some of the newer up-and-coming names like Manc raised Nxdia playing The Deaf Institute, Salfordian Issy Sutcliffe at hidden gem Lions Den, and the now Phoebe Bridgers-signed Jasmine 4.T grabbing the Gorilla spotlight,
You can find the full Neighbourhood lineup HERE. We even got to chat with local headliners Pale Waves before the big day too:
As mentioned, music festivals might genuinely be one of the best things on the planet but one of the prevailing drawbacks is that you can’t see everyone and sometimes many of the most exciting names have to fall by the wayside to make room for another.
The lineup is a gift and a curse in a way because although it does get you excited for the big day to come around, it’s also followed by the dreaded stage splits and the realisation that a few of your favourites clash with each other – a torturous tale as old as time.
We can’t avoid it, sadly, but what we can do is make it as easy as possible for you to build the schedule that works for you the best and rather than list them all out, it’s easier to just point you in the direction of the official Neighbourhood Festival app for 2024 which you can download now.
Simply go through the lineup and the schedule on your phone, favourite the acts you want to see and then you can look through the set times tab to figure out which acts clash with each other. Simple.
But you should definitely come and spend most of the day at ours – not that we’re biased in any way.
If you were wondering which Neighbourhood stage is the best, it’s this one, obviously…
Neighbourhood 2024 map – venues and where to pick up wristbands
Now, with a whole host of gig spaces to shuttle between, it’s handy to get a lay of the land – especially if, say, you’re a first-timer at NBHD Fest or a student new to the city and not yet familiar with where you’ll hopefully be spending many more nights filled with live music.
You can find the full list of venues, all of which are only a short walk away from one another, down below as well as a little bit of information about each of them:
O2 Ritz – Audio North’s official stage, capacity of 1,500, sprung floor for proper dance vibes
Gorilla – Legendary small-cap venue that can squeeze in around 550, one of the favourites
Albert Hall – As legendary as its counterpart in London, two tiers and fits roughly 2,290 in total
The Deaf Institute – Spread across three floors, each with plenty of character. Max cap of 300 (The Music Hall – other rooms are smaller).
The Bread Shed – Just opposite Deaf; popular student spot which can hold 480 at a push.
Revolution – Oxford Road staple bar with a gig space suitable for more intimate gigs.
Lions Den – Tucked away in the somewhat hidden Deansgate Mews neighbourhood. Just great, even with only 200 people in the gaff.
YES – Another student favourite. Multiple floors but the basement and ‘Pink Room’ will be hosting 60 people and a further 250 gig-goers, respectively.
Mother Mary’s – The old Font site, now an Irish bar with the live stage still intact. State-of-the-art sound system and can hold up to 200 people standing.
Manchester Academy 1 + 2 – Hosting the headliners and some of the bigger acts over at the student union. The second floor holds 960 and the big room over 2,500.
As for the wristband exchange, you can present your e-tickets to receive your full day pass to all of these venues at the Symphony Park reception over at Circle Square on Oxford Road. After that, all you need to do is flash it on entry to access any of the above venues. Bob’s your uncle.
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Albert Hall is one many iconic gig spaces taking part
And that should be just about everything you need to guide your way through Neighbourhood 2024; just make sure to keep your eyes on their socials as well for live updates on the day.
Whether it’s your debut festival or you’re a regular returning for the umpteenth time in a row (guilty), we can guarantee you one thing: you’re going to have an absolute blast.
Oh, and make sure to come say hello to us here at Audio North over in the Ritz – we’ll see you out on the dancefloor!
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/The Manc Group
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Ocean Colour Scene announce 2025 gig at legendary local venue in Manchester
Thomas Melia
2024 just keeps giving us more excuses to roll back the years as UK rock veterans Ocean Colour Scene have announced a Manchester date as part of their upcoming UK and Ireland tour next spring.
The Birmingham-based Britpop band and alternative rock band are heading out across the country, starting in Leeds (did you hear that, Hooties?) and reaching Manchester around halfway into their 22-date tour.
OCS were most prominent in the 90s when British rock was arguably enjoying one of its most influential periods ever, and the beloved Brummies, rather fittingly, were very part of that scene.
Known for their successful hits like ‘The Riverboat Song’, ‘The Day We Caught The Train’ and ‘The Circle’ just to name a few, this announcement comes just a few months after the release of their Best Of Album which dropped back in June.
We're excited to announce we will be touring the UK & Ireland in 2025 with very special guest Kula Shaker (selected dates)! Tickets go on general sale 4th October at 10am, sign up here to gain early access to the pre-sale from 2nd October at 10am – https://t.co/GPCuNjpL1npic.twitter.com/fQhVCFjJCx
Manchester and the UK at large are about to be dominated by Britpop in 2025, as we’re still fresh from the Oasis reunion and the upcoming tour, with Heaton Park set for four fantastic nights, but other genre-adjacent names like The Cure are also set to release their first new record in more than 16 years.
As for Ocean Colour Scene, they’re set to follow in the Manc icons’ footsteps with their tour announcement stopping off at another landmarkManchester live music spot, the legendary O2 Apollo.
If fans are hoping to have a ‘Better Day’, they can catch them at the Apollo in April or one of their many other Northern shows, including dates at Leeds’ O2 Academy, Sheffield’s City Hall and Mountford Hall in Liverpool, as well as some big venues down south.
As well as being admired by fans, the charts loved them too as they remain one of the UK’s most revered bands of all time, having three top-five albums around the turn of the century and influencing generations of artists in the decades since their heyday.
It really is going to feel like the late 90s are back again as a psychedelic rock band and fellow contemporaries Kula Shaker will be supporting them on this tour, known for their smash debut single ‘Tattva’ and with plenty more nostalgic tracks to be enjoyed.
Crowds at any show you decide to attend are expected to be some of the best, known especially for their dedication to singing along to those memorable choruses frontman Simon Fowler.
Speaking on the announcement, 59-year-old Fowler said, “Having had such a great time playing festivals all through summer, we now have an incredible tour to look forward to in 2025. And we’re delighted that our old friends Kula Shaker will be joining us for so many of these dates. See you there.”
Ocean Colour Scene with support from Kula Shaker will be stopping off in Manchester on Saturday, 12 April, tickets go live on 4 October from 10am HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd November 2022 
