A popular Festive Winter Fair is set to return to an iconic Manchester venue to kick off the Christmas season.
With the nights drawing in, the temperatures dropping by the day, and the shops and supermarkets already getting filled up with lots of festive food and gifts, it won’t be long before Manchester becomes a Christmas city once again – especially as the world-famous Manchester Christmas Markets are set to return in early November.
But for those keen to escape the hustle and bustle of the main Markets, and soak up all the festive spirit on a smaller scale instead, then Victoria Baths has just what you’re after.
Ready to transform the beautiful Grade II-listed building into a cultural Christmas hub for the day, and all set to encapsulate the “very best traditions of Christmas shopping”, Victoria Baths has confirmed that its much-loved Festive Winter Fair will be making an exciting return for 2024.
This is a chance to get your Christmas shopping done and dusted, all while supporting small independent businesses at the same time.
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Happening on the first day of December under the famous glass roofs of Victoria Baths’ pool hall, with the stunning building set to be decked-out to look its seasonal best, you can expect to find a wide range of Christmas gift ideas from Manchester’s finest makers, crafters, and creators.
Visitors will be able to browse and shop from a carefully-curated selection of 50 stalls that feature art, decorations, ceramics, clothing, glassware, jewellery, and so much more.
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A popular Festive Winter Market is returning to Victoria Baths to kick off the Christmas season / Credit: Supplied
The venue’s popular Tea Room will also be open and serving a selection of sweet and savoury snacks on the day too, as well as traditional mulled wine and mince pies, while local choirs will be adding to the atmosphere with renditions of everyone’s favourite Christmas carols, so it really is the perfect way to start the most festive month of all.
Not only that, but in the spirit of seasonal goodwill, Victoria Baths will also be a Christmas collection point for those wanting to donate a gift or food items to local charities.
Unwrapped gifts will be collected on behalf of Trafford Domestic Abuse Services this year, while and non-perishable food items will be collected for Manchester Central Foodbank.
The Festive Winter Fair will take over Victoria Baths for 2024 on Sunday 1 December from 11am-4pm, with tickets now on sale and starting from as little as £4 each, while under 18s go free.
From drone shows to free ice lollies – what went down at Parklife 2025
Daisy Jackson
It’s been a few days since Parklife 2025 wrapped up, and now that we’ve all caught up on sleep we’re looking back on some of the highlights you might’ve missed.
With such a stacked line-up of live music, it would be impossible to have seen everything – from that sizzling final set from Charli XCX to Morgan Seatree’s emotional hometown show, plus viral sensation Interplanetary Criminal filling Matinee and D.O.D. getting the whole Big Top dancing.
One moment that you couldn’t possibly have missed if you were on the ground at Parklife festival was a surprise drone show which dazzled overhead on Saturday night.
As rap legend 50 Cent wrapped up his huge headline set on The Valley stage, and The Hangar came alive to the sound of Pawsa, fans got an extra special treat way up in the skies.
Hundreds of drones came together in an impressive, illuminated aerial display, starting with a 10-second countdown that stopped festival-goers in their tracks.
The drones then flew in formation to create iconic shapes like a yellow JD Sports duffle bag, an adidas shoebox, and the shape of a slowly-rotating Climacool trainer – and what a trainer it is.
The adidas drone show on Saturday nightadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies50 Cent on The Valley stageadidas handed out Climacool-branded lollies and slushies
That wasn’t the only bit of attention the Climacool footwear got at Parklife either – thankful fans were treated to free Climacool branded ice lollies and slushies on their way into the festival on Saturday.
As the sun beat down on Heaton Park (bar the odd brief downpour, classic Manchester), adidas and JD Sports arrived in an ice cream truck with the coolest drop at the festival.
There was a helping hand from social media sensation Yombo to hype up the crowd before the festival had even got started.
The Climacool has a textile lining and upper work, with a perforated midsole to allow airflow and keep your feet fresh – perfect for any city adventure (and pretty perfect for a day at Parklife, we discovered).
If the Climacool trainers have caught your eye – either in the sky, at the Climacool ice cream truck, or on social media – then the good news is you can now shop them for yourselves.
Vogue’s immersive ‘Inventing the Runway’ show is coming to Manchester
Thomas Melia
A Vogue immersive show titled ‘Inventing the Runway’ is coming to Manchester, and it’s even co-created by Anna Wintour herself.
Ever fancied learning more about the fashion world? Well, now’s your chance to hear everything you need to know from global fashion leaders and lifestyle magazine Vogue.
The Anna Wintour-approved immersive experience comes alongside the announcement of Factory International‘s Winter lineup, which features another new event all about voyaging to the moon.
This Vogue-fronted experience will incorporate interviews, visual media and more to help attendees visualise fashion shows of the past, present and future.
As well as understanding how fashion shows became the pinnacle of a designer’s vision, this runway-themed display also includes looking back at iconic moments of fashion and pop culture.
‘Inventing the Runway’ by Vogue is focusing on outfits worn by models and A-listers alike, with narration from the one and only Cate Blanchett.
You can expect to see curated pieces by significant creative minds in fashion history like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and lots more.
Throughout the Vogue experience, as well as coming visually face to face with fashion, you will also hear a soundscape that perfectly reflects this innovative industry with a fusion of classical and pop music.
This fashion exhibition uses the same Lightroom technology behind the impressive David Hockney experience that opened back in December.
Vogue is using this show to honour anyone who has made an impact in the fashion world.The Met Gala has become a staple in everyone’s calendar year in and year out.First Northern Quarter’s Chanel show, now this… Très chic. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/GoodFon)
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue said: “At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.”
“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
You can experience Vogue’s ‘Inventing the Runway’ immersive show from 18 December to 10 January when it visits Aviva Studios this winter.
Find out more information and grab your tickets HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
17th October 2024 
