Christmas

This little hidden Manchester cinema is screening loads of classic Christmas films this festive season

Three films a day? Such festive fun.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 13th November 2024

Elf, Love Actually, and Home Alone are just some of the classic Christmas films soon hitting the big screen at a hidden cinema in Manchester.

With the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping by the day, and the most wonderful time of the year now firmly in our sights, film fans and families looking for some wholesome festive fun are being invited to get themselves down to one of Manchester’s most popular hotels in the lead-up to the big day itself.

King Street Townhouse‘s very-own exclusive cinema will be screening a jam-packed lineup of fan-favourite festive films over the next two months to celebrate Christmas in style.

The Christmas screenings will be taking over the little cinema from this Saturday (16 November), right through to Christmas Eve.

This little hidden Manchester cinema is screening loads of classic Christmas films this festive season / Credit: KSTH

With a marathon of three films set to be screened on each day of the event, the Christmas screenings schedule kicks off on Saturday 9 December at 2pm with the absolute cult-classic that is Elf, all before you can sit down to watch Love Actually, and Home Alone on the same day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Other festive favourites on the lineup across other weekends include It’s a Wonderful Life, The Holiday, The Muppet Christmas Carol, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Die Hard.

Tickets to each of the Christmas screenings are now on sale, and start at just £16.50 each.

ADVERTISEMENT

You can also complete your seasonal experience with festive-themed cocktails, popcorn, pick n mix, and a whole host of other treats beforehand too, if you’d like.

Read more:

Grab your tickets here.

Featured Image – KSTH

Christmas

The design and price for this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets mugs has been revealed

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The design and price for the Manchester Christmas Markets mugs 2025 has been revealed. Credit: Manchester City Council

Festive, collectible, colourful mugs are a huge staple of the Manchester Christmas Markets – and with just over a fortnight to go, the designs for 2025 have been revealed.

This year, the Manchester Christmas Mugs are a true Mancunian affair, capturing several festive landmarks in the style of a colourful toy town.

That includes illustrations of the iconic windmill bar, a huge Christmas tree, and a neat row of Christmas Markets huts, complete with traders and (of course) a gigantic bratwurst statue.

There are two types as always (a large one for coffees and hot chocolates, and a smaller for gluhwein and hot toddys), portraying the markets both by day and by night.

Every year, as thousands of visitors flock to our city for the festive celebrations, the streets are filled with wooden sheds, glittering light installations, and festive cheer.

And a big part of that is grabbing a hot chocolate or a mulled one, served in a colourful seasonal mug that’s designed by the council’s design studio.

Manchester City Council has today also revealed the price of a deposit for this year’s mugs, which you can either have back in full when you return your vessel, or sacrifice in order to take your mug home as a souvenir.

Refreshingly, there’s no price hike for 2025 – the Manchester Christmas Markets mugs deposit remains at £3.50.

The mugs will be available at all 10 market locations from opening day on Friday 7 November, while stocks last (and they have sold out in the previous three years).

The design and price for the Manchester Christmas Markets mugs 2025 has been revealed. Credit: Manchester City Council
The design and price for the Manchester Christmas Markets mugs 2025 has been revealed. Credit: Manchester City Council

Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “Top marks once again to our fantastic designers for coming up with yet another brilliant design for our iconic Christmas mugs which we know people are going to absolutely love, this year depicting Manchester in all its twinkly pretty-as-a-picture festive glory at Christmas – it’s even snowing!

“Over the years our Christmas mugs have become truly the stuff of legend and are very much sought after – including by Santa himself, who refuses to set off on his journey swooping through the night skies of Manchester on Christmas Eve until he’s eaten his mince pie and downed his hot chocolate in its souvenir Christmas mug that we leave out for him every year on the roof of Central Library. He must have quite the collection of mugs by now at home in the North Pole!

“Don’t be like Santa though and think you can leave it ’til Christmas Eve to get hold of a mug. Come down and join us well before then at our world-famous Christmas Markets and celebrate the festive season with us here in the best city in the world, in true Manchester style!”

Manchester’s Christmas Markets will open at ten locations across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December, except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.

Christmas in Manchester will also see the Skate Manchester Ice Rink in Cathedral Gardens open for Christmas skaters from Friday 7 November until Sunday 4 January, and the magical Manchester Christmas Parade which will take place on Sunday 7 December.

Read more

Featured image: Manchester

Christmas

Manchester’s iconic Bridgewater Hall to host FIVE Christmas events this year

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Bridgewater Hall has five Christmas events on this year

The Bridgewater Hall, one of Manchester’s finest music venues and concert halls, has announced a busy programme of Christmas events this year. 

The beloved landmark has a schedule that includes something for all ages, from family-friendly shows and carol singing to epic orchestral evenings. 

Over the course of the festive season, the Bridgewater Hall will host the music of the world’s greatest composers, travel back in time with nostalgic swing nights, and welcome in fans of all ages to get into the festive spirit. 

This year’s schedule includes appearances from Sir Karl Jenkins, Horrible Histories, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and loads more. 

Have a read below for the five big Christmas events at Bridgewater Hall this year. 

Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins

Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins
Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins

The Bridgewater Hall will welcome a musical icon this Christmas, with a very special evening with Sir Karl Jenkins. 

He’ll be conducting a spell-binding night of carols and festive classics, brought to life by the Manchester Concert Orchestra and presented by John Suchet. 

Expect choirs, a full orchestra and a timeless evening of live music to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

There’ll be music from Sir Karl’s hit festive albums Joy To The World and Stella Natalis, including Silent Night, Dulci Jubilo, Healing Light and plenty more. 

22 December at 3pm  | Tickets HERE

Christmas Carol Singalong

Christmas Carol Singalong
Christmas Carol Singalong

Can you think of a more magical way to ring in Christmas than with traditional carol singing on Christmas Eve? Because we can’t. 

The ultimate night of carolling will hit the Bridgewater Hall this winter, led by the inimitable Jonathan Cohen and featuring West End star Louise Dearman.

Belt your heart out to the likes of The Twelve Days of Chrismtas, Winter Wonderland, Frosty The Snowman, and plenty more beloved carols. 

24 December at 3pm | Tickets HERE

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams returns to Bridgewater Hall this Christmas
The Music of Zimmer vs Williams returns to Bridgewater Hall this Christmas

Composers don’t get much more iconic than Hans Zimmer and John Williams, who between them have crafted the most legendary movie music soundtracks of all time. 

The 70-piece Manchester Concert Orchestra will be performing a selection of these in an almighty concert, where you’ll hear live renditions of soundtracks including Star Wars, Interstellar, Harry Potter, The Holiday, Pirates of the Caribbean, E.T., and loads more. 

This night will be an epic head-to-head battle between two of the film industry’s composing greats. 

27 December at 7.30pm | Tickets HERE

Horrible (Histories) Christmas

Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories

The legendary Horrible Histories team will bring Horrible Christmas to the Bridgewater Hall in December, taking audiences on a festive romp through British history. 

From Victorian villains to medieval monks, partying Puritans to terrible Tudors, and even a visit from St Nicholas himself.

ADVERTISEMENT

The show will follow a Christmas that’s under threat from a jolly man in red (clue – it’s Santa), and one brave child’s mission to save the day.  

It’ll be a night packed with family-friendly laughs, villains, and seasonal cheer.

28 December at 2pm and 4.30pm | Tickets HERE

The Glen Miller Orchestra

The Glen Miller Orchestra
The Glen Miller Orchestra

Wrapping up the seasonal programme at the Bridgewater Hall is The Glen Miller Orchestra, stepping back in time to relive the music that defined an era. 

The UK’s most celebrated big band will perform war-time chart-toppers from the 1940s, harking Manchester back to the golden age of swing. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Special guest Ray McVay will join the orchestra on stage, adding to the concert’s vintage charm. 

And for the second half of the show, the band will don the iconic US Army Air Force uniforms of the Second World War for a truly immersive experience. 

29 December at 3pm | Tickets HERE

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

More Christmas

Christmas

Manchester’s magical Christmas Parade is back to take over city centre again for 2025

M&S festive food to go 2025

Christmas

M&S launches its fancy festive ‘food to go’ range for 2025 with sandwiches, snacks, and more

The historic house at Dunham Massey will be lit up with projections. Credit: Supplied

Cheshire

The North West’s most mesmerising festive light trail will return to Dunham Massey next month

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches