Greater Manchester has been invaded, with so many light trails taking place this year it feels like you’ve been swarmed by fireflies.
There are light trails in parks, light trails in the city, light trails in zoos and light trails in gardens.
There’s a style to suit every taste too, whether you’re into a colourful, nostalgic Christmas, or ultra-tasteful festivities that take your breath away.
There’s even a light trail that will hit the brief if you’re particularly interested in blending winter light trails with disco music…
So we’ve travelled the length and breadth of the north west to pick out the best light trails that are worth your time and money this Christmas.
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Christmas at Heaton Park, Manchester
Christmas at Heaton Park light trail in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupChristmas at Heaton Park light trail in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
A brand new festive light trail has opened in Manchester this winter, filling Heaton Park with glowing orbs, neon trees, and fairylit tunnels.
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The spectacular new festive event loops around the park’s lake, where installations on the water include colourful ships and light beams.
And down in the woods you’ll find a laser garden, a flurry of bubbles, larger-than-life glowing flowers, and twinkling pink trees.
You can stop off at a festive teepee for a mulled wine, toast your marshmallows on an open fire, and whizz around the fairground rides at the end too. Did we mention the whole trail is dog-friendly, too?
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Adult standard tickets £18 | Running until 31 December | Tickets here
Manchester’s newest city centre park, Mayfield Park, has been transformed into a festive ‘Twilight Trail’ for the first time ever this Christmas.
This brand-new immersive experience is made up of several spectacular light displays, unique lantern installations, and a captivation sound-scape dotted around the pristine new park – with each circuit estimated to take around half an hour.
And at the end you can dive into Winter Island, Freight Island’s Christmas season, and grab yourself some food and drink, from a build-your-own boozy hot chocolate bar from Cocoa Cabana, to the Smoking Coal German BBQ, serving a whole bratwurst menu, Schweinshaxe in a bun, and a classic hog roast butty.
Adult tickets £10 | Running until 31 December | Tickets here
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The Twilight Trail is now open, and running right through until the new year, and you can find out more and grab tickets here.
Put Big Light On Bolton, Bolton
Easily the light trail with the best name in Greater Manchester is Put Big Light On Bolton, which has a range of light installations installed in the town centre.
There’s everything from a giant moon by Luke Jerram to a Dan Archer creation that brings the Northern Lights to our hometown.
There are special events taking place around the light festival too – but most of it wraps up this weekend, so you’ll have to move fast.
Land of Lights Gulliver’s World. Credit: The Manc GroupToasted marshmallows at Land of Lights at Gulliver’s World
Land of Lights has transformed Gulliver’s World in Warrington into an immersive winter wonderland with 12 ‘vivid dreamworlds’.
The gigantic lanterns are inspired by animals, mega monuments, and wonders of the natural world.
As the sun goes down and the nights draw in, visitors to the North West attraction can explore an amazing array of light installations as they walk all around the park.
More than 7,000 individual lanterns and hundreds of thousands of LED lights create the spectacle.
The completely free Lightwaves Festival is back at Salford Quays this week for its 10th instalment, this time with 15 artworks – three of which are brand new commissions.
Highlights include a luminescent artwork in the shape of a six-metre-long whale shark, complete with transparent fish scales, and a tunnel of giant mirrored rings across the piazza that people can walk through.
Then there are giant glowing flowers and a fire garden you can roam around too.
7-10 December | Free, no tickets needed
Castlefield Viaduct, Manchester city centre
Castlefield Viaduct has a series of night time events including a Lantern Lates light trail. Credit: David Bewick/National Trust.
Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester, the lush National Trust site built up on a disused railway viaduct, is inviting visitors to see the urban green space by nightfall.
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There’ll be a free Lantern Lates series where the park will transform into a ‘magical, sparkling grotto’.
Visitors can climb up to Castlefield Viaduct , the huge industrial landmark that has views right across Manchester city centre, and savour the winter wonderland created for the coming season.
It’s before the National Trust project closes for a few weeks in the new year for work to refresh the gardens for spring and summer.
A brand-new immersive experience has opened at Chester Zoo for the festive season this week.
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Lanterns and Light gives visitors the chance to explore captivating light installations and be transported into enchanting lands filled with colour and festivity, all while meeting orangutans, lions, dolphins, and woolly mammoths as they make their way along the trail.
There’s also colour changing displays stretching as far as the eye can see, birds and stars adorning the zoo’s winding paths and trees, and a spectacular Winter Cathedral tunnel of lights.
Until 31 December | Adult tickets £22 | Buy tickets here.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods revealed – and sprouts aren’t number one
Emily Sergeant
If there’s one thing for certain, a lot of food gets consumed at Christmas.
Foodies look forward to the festive season all year long, and it’s not hard to see why, as for many people, Christmas is just as much about the food as it is anything else, especially as shops and supermarkets tend to go all out with the festive feasting specials – with treats stacked top to bottom on the shelves.
Think turkey, roast potatoes, chocolate, mince pies, and so much more everywhere you look.
But surprisingly, a few of those foods are actually among the most disliked by the younger generations once the festive season rolls around.
A new poll by of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas, carried out by Aldi, has found that those born in 1996 or later are apparently “turning their back on” traditional favourites in favour of festive dishes with some sort of “modern twist”.
The top 10 most disliked Christmas foods have been revealed / Credit: Mika Hermans (via Pexels) | GoodFon
Of the traditional favourites, Christmas pudding is one of the least-loved festive foods, along with Christmas cake and trifle – with more than half (56%) of respondents describing them as “dated”.
Despite what many would expect though, number one on the list is not the usual scapegoat of sprouts, as instead it’s mince pies that take the top spot, with the little green vegetables coming in fifth place just behind cranberry sauce at four, Christmas cake in third, and Christmas pudding at two.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods
Mince pies – 31%
Christmas pudding – 29%
Christmas cake – 25%
Cranberry sauce – 25%
Brussels sprouts – 24%
Bread sauce – 22%
Chestnuts – 21%
Brandy butter – 20%
Turkey – 20%
Trifle – 19%
So, what else would the youngsters like to see on the festive menu instead then?
According to the poll, he likes of loaded fries, crispy fried chicken, and even pizza are just a few of the things that Gen-Z would most like to be at the table for Christmas dinner this year, whilst cheesecake (33%), chocolate gateau (29%), and ice cream (25%) are among the preferred festive desserts in place of Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.
Additional research from the supermarket found that the main reasons Brits would like to change up Christmas dinner is to fit personal taste preferences better (34%), or to be more inclusive for dietary restrictions (27%).
26% said they want to switch things up just to be more exciting or adventurous in general.
Featured Image – Flickr
Christmas
10 Christmas foods that are toxic for pets and the warning signs to watch out for
Emily Sergeant
With Christmas only a few days away, and the festive feasting having firmly already begun for a lot of households, we need to keep an eye on those food vacuums.
And by food vacuums, we of course mean our four-legged friends.
We all know that a lot of food tends to get thrown away over the Christmas period, and because of this, you may be tempted to treat your pets to some of the leftovers – but did you know that some common festive foods can actually make our pets seriously ill?
This means it’s so important to know which ones should be avoided.
Animal health specialists at OurFitPets have put together a list of common Christmas foods that can cause serious health problems for cats and dogs, as well as given some advice on what you should do if your furry friend accidentally eats any of these foods.
Some of the warning signs that your pet has poisoning from the various foods on list list to look out for include vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, changes in urination frequency and habits, changes in appetite, and much more.
Here’s 10 festive foods that are toxic to pets.
Did you know that some common festive foods can actually make our pets seriously ill? / Credit: Rumman Amin (via Unsplash)
Christmas pudding and mince pies
These common Christmas treats are filled with dried fruits, such as raisins, sultanas and currents, all of which are particularly toxic for cats and dogs.
They can cause kidney failure if consumed.
Sage and onion stuffing and onion gravy
Any foods that contain vegetables of the allium variety should be off the menu for cats or dogs.
This includes fresh and powered forms of aromatics, such as onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and chives, which are frequently found in Christmas stuffing and gravy, as these vegetables all contain a compound called N-propyl disulfide – which is damaging to your pet’s red blood cells, and can cause them to develop anaemia.
Chocolate
This is one we’re all pretty familiar with, right?
Chocolate can be particularly toxic for cats and dogs as it contains a compound called theobromine, which animals can’t metabolise easily.
Dark chocolate and baking chocolate being the worst offenders, as they contain the highest levels of theobromine, while white chocolate is the least harmful as it contains only a small amount of the compound – although it’s obviously not recommended that you feed them any type of chocolate.
Consumption can cause overstimulation of pets’ muscles, including their heart.
Macadamia nuts
While it’s not fully understood why Macadamia nuts are unsafe for pets, we do know that consuming them can cause your cat or dog to appear weak or sleepy, and can cause painful or stiff joints that may make it difficult for them to walk.
This variety of nut can also induce vomiting, tremors, and raised body temperature for up to two days.
Blue cheese such as Roquefort contain a compound called roquefortine C, which is known to cause muscle tremors and seizures in cats and dogs for up to two days.
Like blue cheese, dairy that has gone past its use-by date, or different bread products that contain fungi can become mouldy and produce mycotoxins that give similar negative effects for cats and dogs when ingested.
Alcohol
Animals are more sensitive to the ethanol present in alcohol than humans are.
Consumption of alcohol will cause your pet to become drowsy and unstable on their feet, and, at worst, can cause a drop in body temperature and blood sugar – which can lead to seizures or a coma.
Turkey bones and fat
While not necessarily toxic to cats and dogs, turkey bones can be brittle which means there is a high chance of them splintering and lodging in your pet’s throat or stomach.
Turkey fat – and fatty foods in general – shouldn’t be given to pets in large quantities either as they can cause stomach discomfort and diarrhoea.
Experts have provided tips and warning signs to watch out for / Credit: Jasmin Schuler (via Unsplash)
What should I do if my pet has eaten something it shouldn’t have?
Even if your pet has only eaten a small amount of these foods, it’s important to do the following:
Call the vet straight away – Don’t wait for your pet to start showing symptoms. A vet will be able to offer advice, and the quicker you act, the better chance your pet will have of recovery.
Note the time and quantity of food ingested – Provide the vet with as much information as you can. This includes the time your pet ate the unsafe food, brand names, the ingredient list and how much you think they consumed.
Don’t try to make your pet sick – Attempting this can cause further health complications. Leave this to your vet, as they are trained to do this in a safe manner.
A few tips pet owners should keep in mind this festive season is making sure chocolate is kept out of reach, including removing Christmas tree chocolates and avoiding putting wrapped selection boxes under the tree, and considering putting pets in another room while you eat your Christmas dinner so they can’t eat food that drops on the floor.
It’s also a good idea check the list of ingredients in any food before feeding to your pet, as many products will contain onion or garlic powder as flavouring – which is just as harmful for your pet as the real thing.
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2023 
