Manchester International Festival has confirmed that a major part of its 2023 programme will go ahead as planned, after the death of prolific composer and headlining artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The Oscar-winning composer and Japanese pop pioneer died on Tuesday last week at the age of 71.
Sakamoto had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time in 2021, saying at the time of his diagnosis that he would be ‘living alongside cancer’.
His death has been met with waves of sadness from those in the music and film industry, and beyond.
Manchester International Festival had just recently announced Sakamoto as a headlining artist for MIF23, with a groundbreaking new ‘mixed reality’ concert created by the composer in collaboration with Tin Drum.
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They have now confirmed that Kagami will go ahead as planned, ‘in accordance with his wishes’.
Factory International said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ryuichi Sakamoto. We send our condolences to his family and those closest to him at this time.
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“In accordance with his wishes, our production of Kagami will go ahead during MIF23 as part of his unique legacy.”
We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ryuichi Sakamoto. We send our condolences to his family and those closest to him at this time.
In accordance with his wishes, our production of Kagami will go ahead during MIF23 as part of his unique legacy.
— Factory International (@factoryintl) April 2, 2023
In response to the bittersweet announcement that the show will go on, one person wrote: “I’ve been a big fan of his for 40 years, saw him play the RFH in 1996 & booked my tickets for Kagami yesterday. Am so very sad but glad the show will go ahead in his memory.”
Another person said: “Unfortunately expected, but very very sad. I am so glad we have the chance to see Kagami. Another piece of his beautiful legacy.”
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Someone else wrote: “Can’t quite believe this, having enjoyed Sakamoto’s work and delving into his back catalogue the last few years. Was already so excited for Kagami in July, but this will be all the more poignant now.”
Kagami will ‘fuse dimensional moving photography with the real world to create a never-before-experienced mixed reality presentation’ when it premieres in Manchester this June, as part of MIF’s wider festival programming.
Paying tribute to Sakamoto, Professor Brian Cox wrote: “He was a big part of my ‘80s musical experience – initially for me through his work with David Sylvian and Japan – but of course he leaves a magnificent catalogue of music behind.”
Massive Attack wrote: “An honour to share Meltdown 08 with you maestro. A genius, & a gentleman.”
REST IN PEACE RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
“Here am I, a lifetime away from you…”
Sad to learn of the passing of actor, composer, and producer @ryuichisakamoto. The renowned Japanese artist passed on Tuesday 28th March aged 71.
The all-new Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz is coming to the AO Arena in 2025
Danny Jones
Something Wicked comes this way but not as you know because a high-flying twist on the Wizard of Oz lands in Manchester next year – only this time, make it Cirque!
That’s right, AO Arena is set to welcome the Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz: an acrobatic take on the classic children’s story and much-loved 1939 film starring Judy Garland.
With Wicked fever having taken over the global zeitgeist following the release of this year’s feature-length adaption and even more people, theatre fans or not, going along to see the long-hailed theatre production that inspired it, it seems there’s no better time to announce this latest entry into the universe.
Set to embark on its inaugural tour in 2025, the experience is being described as ‘cirque meets panto’ and is set to deliver a magical retelling of the iconic tale like never before.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOW ON SALE!⚡ CIRQUE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ!<br><br>Panto meets Cirque... Be amazed by a brand-new, breath-taking, Cirque staging… of the Wicked Wizard of Oz, coming to the AO Arena next year on Tuesday 23rd December 2025! 💫✨ <br><br>Buy tickets now: <a href="https://t.co/uQTPa3YJqW">https://t.co/uQTPa3YJqW</a> <a href="https://t.co/kTctGVXZIn">pic.twitter.com/kTctGVXZIn</a></p>— AO Arena (@AOArena) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOArena/status/1870046804659568980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Turning the Emerald City into the Emerald Circus, World’s Biggest Productions (the same team behind Elf: The Musical, Peter Pan and many other pantomime hits) are bringing this new concept to the masses starting in Autumn 2025, with a Manchester date pencilled in for the following winter.
Featuring a cast of more than 60, including already familiar audience favourites like Jordan Conway, Kelly Banlaki and Kev Orkian in starring roles, anyone who has seen one of their productions before will know how big and bold an affair they are.
Combine that with one of the most well-known stories on the planet and what do you get? Well, what we can only expect to be a supremely energetic, colourful and heartfelt spectacle on a huge scale.
Promising aerial stunts, amazing special effects and the big-budget perks of an arena as legendary as the AO, this is not one you’ll want to miss if you’re a musical theatre fan.
It’s also not the show the theatre company are bringing to the stage next year either, as their hugely successful run of Elf will be returning alongside Scrooge – yes, another circus spin, only this time on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Most importantly, all of these shows are fundamentally family-friendly, meaning not only can they be enjoyed by people of all ages but they’ll make for a perfect day out come the festive period.
Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz comes to Manchester for one night only on Tuesday, 23 December 2025 with the fun starting from 7pm.
In the meantime, if you’re still in need of a musical theatre of fantasy fix, you can read all about what we made of the most recent showings of Wicked at the Palace Theatre down below.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 23 – 29 December 2024
Emily Sergeant
It’s here, Christmas week is FINALLY here.
The festive season has properly been in full swing across Greater Manchester for a good couple of weeks now, but considering the big day itself is actually here this week, there’s loads of Christmas-themed events and activities for the whole family to be getting up to across the region, just as you’d expect.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide to help you out.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Skate Manchester 2024
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 23 December 2024 – Wednesday 1 January 2025
Skate Manchester 2024 / Credit: Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
What’s a festive season in the city without Skate Manchester?
Back once again for 2024, Skate Manchester is festive staple, and this year, skaters can glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
Families, friends, and festive fun seekers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
East Lancashire Railway’s beloved Santa steam train rides are back for more festive fun this Christmas.
Running right through until Christmas Eve, ELR’s ‘Santa Specials’ are your chance to hop on board an old-school steam train and travel through the magical Irwell Valley to make “enchanted memories” that last a lifetime.
The famous festive steam trains have become an essential part of Christmas for many families in the North West, and there’s still some tickets left available.
Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are back in Manchester once again.
Bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks to two city centre locations from this Thursday onwards, dozens of cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under twinkling lights are now open down at both Kampus and Great Northern Square.
There’s also a handful of other events on the lineup throughout the festive season, including live music and DJs, wreath making workshops, and movie nights.
A brand-new festive hub has arrived in Spinningfields, and you’ll be able to visit a new ice rink, drink cocktails in a snow globe-like rooftop dome, and get merry in a yurt.
Winter Assembly at Courts Club is home to the city’s newest, fully-independent ice rink, On Ice, as well as lots of different food traders serving up winter gyros from Lucky Gyros, festive grilled cheeses, boozy hot chocolate, German BBQ specials, and so much more.
Cheshire Oaks’ beloved grotto is back for 2024, and the big man in red and his trusty elves are taking to the skies once again this year.
Running on the Designer Outlet’s Big Wheel every Thursday to Sunday throughout December, the ‘Santa in the Sky’ experience is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas as a family this winter, and make memories to last a lifetime.
Looking for something else to do at Cheshire Oaks this month? There’s plenty of other festive events happening in the run-up to Christmas.
With alpine lodges, festive drinks, Yorkshire pudding wraps, and of course, a helter skelter, The Winter Village is now open at Cheshire Oaks.
Christmas films like Home Alone, The Grinch, and The Polar Express will also be screened in the lodge, and plus, did you know that Cheshire Oaks is home to the UK’s largest Christmas tree, that you can actually go inside?
Find out more and grab tickets to any events here.
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The Holiday – Film With Live Orchestra
Bridgewater Hall
Monday 23 December
The Holiday – Film With Live Orchestra / Credit: Universal Pictures | Julio Rionaldo (via Unsplash)
You can watch The Holiday on a big screen with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack in Manchester this week.
Since its release nearly two decades ago, watching The Holiday has become an annual tradition for millions worldwide every time the festive season rolls around – but how would you like to watch this classic in the most magical way possible? Streamed live onto a big screen in the theatre with a complete concert orchestra playing its soundtrack by the legendary Hans Zimmer?
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Well now you can, as The Holiday Live is coming to Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall this Monday, following a sell-out success last year.
Find out more and see if you can grab some last-minute tickets here.
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The Grotto
Trafford Centre
Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 December
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The Grotto at the Trafford Centre / Credit: Supplied
The main man is making our northern city his new home at one of Greater Manchester’s biggest shopping centres this winter time.
Running all the way up until Christmas Eve, Santa is swapping the cold air of the North Pole for the cloudy skies of Manchester, as he starts his annual journey around the world by making a visit to our region.
Not only is Santa travelling with his grotto, he’s also giving visitors the chance to experience the world of the North Pole as he brings the chilly destination to the Trafford Centre.
The magnificent grounds of Tatton Park have been transformed into a ‘glittering winter adventure’ for the festive season.
Families will be whisked away into a world of folklore, enchantment, and enthralling performances as they enter the gardens of the stunning Tatton Park in Cheshire for an immersive, festival-like experience known as Yuletide.
Organisers say the captivating event promises to be a “truly magical experience” where folklore stories come to life through storytelling and live music.
Spectrum: A World of Illumination / Credit: Supplied
A brand-new Christmas attraction to get us all in the festive spirit has now opened.
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Just outside of Manchester, titled ‘Spectrum: A World of Illumination’, this spectacular never-seen-before trail is lighting up Cheshire with a month-long residency in Knutsford, and will be running every day in December besides Christmas Day, plus a few extra dates in November.
The immersive maze features moving giant candy canes, overhead Christmas-inspired installations like a laser show, and tunnels of light.
Not enough light trails on this list for your liking?
As the nights draw in and the temperatures drop, light trails are pretty much a given every time the festive season rolls around, and luckily, there’s plenty of them dotted across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and across the North West this year.
If deciding which immersive experience to head on down to over these next couple of weeks is a tricky task for you though,
Christmas Screenings at King Street Townhouse / Credit: KSTH
Elf, Love Actually, and Home Alone are just some of the classic Christmas films hitting the big screen at a hidden cinema in Manchester.
Film fans looking for some wholesome festive fun are being invited to get themselves down to one of Manchester’s most popular hotels, King Street Townhouse, in the run-up to the big day itself, as it’s very-own exclusive cinema will be screening a jam-packed lineup of fan-favourite festive films over the next couple of weeks.
It may be Christmas week itself, but we understand not everyone is down to do festive things all the time, so here’s a couple of other suggestions.
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David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
Aviva Studios
Monday 23 December 2024 – Saturday 25 January 2025
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) / Credit: The Manc Group
One of the most influential British artists of the 21st century, David Hockney, is taking you on a personal journey through 60 years of his art in the revolutionary Aviva Studios, and it’s now open for everyone to pay a visit.
This is a real sensory encompassing experience, from the grand and vibrant projections on the walls, to the sound system which will be playing throughout the exhibition.
Hockney opened this installation in London, and this is the first time these pieces of art have left the country’s capital to be viewed by even more spectators.
Winter Holiday Programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
One of Manchester’s most popular museums has been transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
This is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum is currently running its full festive events programme and there’s loads to get involved with.
You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
Wicked The Musical / Credit: Jennifer DiNoia / Limited Engagement
Wicked The Musical has landed in Manchester and has taken over the iconic Palace Theatre stage for the festive season.
Sure, there may be a major motion picture adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande currently on in the cinema right now, but if you’re keen to see the beloved musical production on stage in the way it was originally intended, then you can head on down to the Palace Theatre to see the story of Elphaba and Galinda live.
Of course, this has been one of the hottest tickets in town for quite a while now, but there’ll still some last-minute seats left to get your hands on, so keep your eyes peeled.
A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world has now arrived here in Greater Manchester, and it’s recently been announced that it’ll be sticking around until the new year.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Daisy Jackson -
4th April 2023 
