Cheshire Oaks has revealed its busy programme of festive events for the upcoming season, including the UK’s largest Christmas tree and a breakfast with Santa experience.
The huge shopping destination – the largest designer outlet in the UK – has pulled out all the stops for its winter celebrations.
You’ll be able to add a personal touch to your own festivities by making your own wreath, or picking up a personalised bauble.
Cheshire Oaks is also hosting its very own drive-in cinema, and has opened its magical winter village.
And if you’re starting to chip away at your Christmas shopping, there are more than 150 boutiques, restaurants and cafes in 400,000 square feet of retail space to explore.
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In the spirit of giving, Cheshire Oaks will donate £1 for every selfie taken on site and posted online – just tag #ShareTheMagic and a quid will go to Passion For Learning.
Here’s a list of events taking place at Cheshire Oaks in the run-up to Christmas.
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Drive-in cinema
Credit: Cheshire Oaks
Drive-in cinemas have been all the rage in the last year, a way to watch your favourite flicks under the stars from the comfort of your own car.
Cheshire Oaks’ very own cinema will return in December with a duo of festive films.
All proceeds go to charity too, supporting Passion For Learning, Cheshire Oaks’ chosen charity for 2021.
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You’ll be able to watch Elf on December 7, or Home Alone on December 8. Both films start at 7.30pm.
There’s also mulled wine to wash it all down with.
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The Winter Village is also home to the UK’s largest Christmas tree, which will host autism-friendly mornings every Sunday until December 19, between 9am and 10am.
Live music
Cheshire Oaks will be filled with festive music in the run-up to Christmas, with live entertainment galore.
Roaming band the Walking Heads will perform Christmas classics with a twist, while Beyond Gospel Choir will be performing throughout December.
Visitors will also be able to spot a DJ bike that will roam the centre blasting festive hits.
Wreath workshops
Credit: Cheshire Oaks
It’s always nice to add a personal touch to your Christmas celebrations, and you can learn how at Cheshire Oaks with wreath making workshops.
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Cheshire-based florist Heather will be leading groups through the process of creating your own wreaths.
She’s even found locally-sourced decorations and foliage for a truly wholesome touch.
Workshops are taking place between 10am and 12pm, and 2pm and 4pm, on the following dates in December: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12.
The platform splits into two areas, a bar space and a family-friendly, zero-alcohol viewing platform.
The evening will consist of DJ sets and a countdown to midnight displayed on a big screen.
In previous years, the Council has arranged a huge fireworks display, previously at the Town Hall but in more recent years at the Cathedral.
Piccadilly Gardens will host the New Year’s Eve celebrations – pictured here when it was home to the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
But this year they say they ‘simply cannot justify’ the expense when budgets are stretched so thin.
Instead, the council plans to use its limited resources for free community events year-round, like the recent Christmas Parade.
Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “We know that New Year’s Eve is a special night – one that everyone looks forward to – and we are all disappointed that we can’t go ahead with our usual fireworks this year.
“Unfortunately, we simply cannot justify the increasing costs of putting on a big display while also worrying about funding essential Council services.
“We believe that we should use the limited funding we have to put on free events in communities throughout the year and we look forward to seeing more of this in the coming months.
“But we couldn’t let New Year’s Eve go by without a true Mancunian countdown. So join us before midnight in Piccadilly Gardens and help us bring in 2023 in style.”
Both spaces will be limited capacity and will be closed once they are full.
And this year’s instalment was even more impressive, with a target of 16 (SIXTEEN!) cans in his sights.
Once again, what starts off as a fairly ordered and logical Twitter thread soon descends into madness, including dancing videos, puns, swearing, and plenty of typos.
Rob’s tradition, now coined ‘Boddmas’, has even drawn support from Ed Gamble this year.
And for 2022, he worked out how to set up a crowd-funded hangover recovery fund, with more than 100 people donating to get him through his Boddingtons hangover.
Highlights from this year included an impassioned rant about Declan Rice (‘a sound as f*ck geeza, heart of gold, wonderful sprit, we can’t get enough’), a break for hoisin duck pancakes, and a desperate bid for the attention of whoever manages Boddingtons’ social media channels.
Rob’s Boddingtons Boxing Day mission reached 16 cans this year.
The ‘official’ rules of Boddmas include sticking to a 12pm-12am window for the binge-drinking marathon, tweeting an update each time a can is opened, and ‘having fun’.
Reaching the halfway mark, Rob tweeted: “Number 8 is making me sentimental, how far we’ve come how far we have to go. It’s all the same when you’re rushing on Boddingtons.”
The typos really kicked up a notch after this, with him adding: “Feeling cockey about how fine I feel after 10… but then realised I’ve got 6 to go… Have a feeling I might be humbled in the final striaght.”
As things went on, he posted: “No13! Come at me! Like Ally McOist I’m mosit for it! I hope to have a face so red and booze bitten one day. One can only dream. We love you Ally!” – which is… definitely words.
The mental no-context celebrity mentions continued after that, including this: “Fifteen. Reckon I could beat 50 cent in a wrestling match at this point. He must be old by now no? Get rich for die wrestling the Boddingtons guy! What’s his name Curtis Jackson right? Bring it on Curtis!”
And then this morning? Rob says he ‘woke up sweating yellow’.
During the Boddmas celebrations, one person Photoshopped Rob’s head into a World Cup photo as a mark of encouragement, writing: “You are Messi and number 16 is your World Cup Final.”
Someone else said: “If you only do one thing this Boxing Day, make sure it’s watching @Robertdcopland drink a mountain of Boddington’s (16 cans). Last year’s 15 cans was utterly glorious. #BODDMAS2022”
Another person posted: “For the second year in a row i am fully emotionally invested in @Robertdcopland trying to drink 16 cans of boddingtons.”
Dozens more shared photos of themselves watching along with a can of their own in their hands.
Here’s hoping this is a tradition that never ends – and we’re looking forward to the 17 can mission in 2023.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd November 2021 
