Britain’s beloved Bongo’s Bingo is hosting a series of massive end-of-season specials to ring in the new year, announcing a number of their famous ‘Christmas Cracker’ and festive parties.
They’re also holding a ‘Big Fat Bingo of the Year’ (we don’t see any trademark issues whatsoever…), including one for NYE.
As one of the best nights out, not just in the North but in the country, they’re hoping to send you into 2026 singing, dancing, laughing, and hopefully with some lasting memories and maybe a prize or two.
Confirming the latest raft of shows starting this month, you can expect all the usual Bongo’s madness and more, plus all the bells and whistles, as well as plenty of tinsel and holiday cheer.
We’d love a new hoover for Christmas, to be fair. (Credit: Press shot)
Returning to Albert Hall as it regularly does throughout the rest of the calendar, Bongo’s Bingo is promising to give Manchester a Christmas and New Year’s period they’ll never forget.
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As they put it, the hosts will be “transporting everyone back to the time when coloured tree lights and flammable tinsel ruled supreme, because the halcyon days of turkey with all the trimmings, mini bottles of Babycham and not a naughty elf in sight are BACK big time at Bongo’s Bingo.”
Bloomin’ ‘eck, they don’t half know how to get a crowd fired up even before they’re in the room, do they?
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Set to deliver all the best festive tunes, “dodgy Santa Clauses” – their words, not ours – as well as plenty of foil hats fresh from the Christmas cracker, they’ll be partying with us Mancs multiple times throughout December, not to mention a bonus show at the end of November as we fully swap autumn for winter.
As for the ‘Twixmas’/’Christmas gooch’ period (again, not our words…), the format will then switch to the Big Fat Bingo of the Year, with quiz elements featuring all the biggest memes, tunes and cultural moments of 2025.
You can see the full list of Bongo’s Bingo festive dates for 2025 down below:
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Bongo’s Bingo Christmas Cracker and Big Fat Bingo of the Year dates
Christmas Cracker
November – Fri, 28
December – Sat 6 Dec (day and night), Sat 20 Dec, Sun 21 (day), Mon 22 and Tues 23
Big Fat Bingo Of The Year
Sat, 27 Dec (day and night), Sun 28 (day) and NYE 2025
If you’re interested in booking onto Bongo’s Bingo this Christmas and/or New Year’s, you can find out more information and grab your tickets right HERE.
Zippy returns to Manchester as council unveils brand-new giant Santa installation
Daisy Jackson
Manchester has got a brand-new Giant Santa installation this year – and it’s only bloody Zippy!
The much-loved Christmas mascot disappeared from our city back in 2018 when the restoration of the Manchester Town Hall began, to be replaced by a lighter, moustachioed Father Christmas figure.
But today, Giant Santa has been lifted by crane back into his position outside Manchester Central Library, and Mancs will be delighted to know it’s the haunting blue gaze of Zippy watching over us once again.
It’s not the original Zippy, who really did go into retirement and is sometimes seen sat outside the Kellogg’s factory in Trafford.
But instead, it’s a brand-new interpretation of one of the city’s favourite iterations of our big Santa statue tradition.
The new character is lit up by more than 20,000 twinkling LED lights and sits atop an enormous Christmas present.
Zippy, who took his nickname thanks to his uncanny likeness to the Rainbow character, will be lit up 24 hours a day, from now until the 12th night in January.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said: “We absolutely love Christmas in Manchester and it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa and his sackful of toys.
“Memories of our big Santas in the city over the years hold a special place in the hearts and minds of many a Mancunian.
“We’ve had at least eight or nine different Santas over the last three decades – each of them loved more or slightly less than the others, depending on who you talk to.
“But there’s one Santa that people keep coming back to who captivated everyone with his big white beard and snow-white hands and feet – and that’s our famous Zippy Santa who reigned supreme over Albert Square in front of the Town Hall until 2018.
“And that’s why we’re absolutely thrilled to be able to welcome our brand-new Zippy Santa to Manchester to see us through the festive season this year.
“Of course, it goes without saying that he’s got some big Christmas boots to fill, but already people are loving him, and he’s going to be here with us now right through until January at his very twinkly best, bringing an extra dose of sparkle and Manchester Christmas magic to everyone.”
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
Danny Jones -
12th November 2025 
