Everyone’s favourite singalong karaoke cabins are coming back to Manchester for Christmas, it has been confirmed.
Bar Hütte, the magical Alpine cabin experience with cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks, will return bigger than ever this year – with not one, but two locations in Manchester city centre.
Inspired by some of Europe’s coolest après ski bars, Bar Hütte combines super-snug karaoke hüttes with a vibrant and cheerful alpine atmosphere.
Now in its seventh year, Bar Hütte is seen as a festive staple in the city.
Bar Hütte’s singalong karaoke cabins are coming back to Manchester for Christmas / Credit: Bar Hütte
With two magical Christmas courtyards sweeping across the city, the beloved ‘carol-oke’ cabins will be returning to their home at Greater Northern Square, as well as moving into a brand new canal-side location at Kampus.
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While Bar Hütte at Great Northern Square is heading back to Deansgate, with 15 cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under a heated stretch tent and twinkling lights, Bar Hütte at Kampus will also see a new outdoor terrace, comprising of eight snug, wooden karaoke hüttes nestled beneath the trees, and an ‘Aprés Ski Bungalow’ serving as an indoor alpine bar.
Bar Hütte at Kampus also teamed up with its neighbours, Nell’s and Great North Pie Co, so that hungry foodies can order pizza and pies delivered straight to their hütte via a QR code system.
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As well as an entertainment schedule of live singers and DJs, there is a new drinks menu to include winter serves, Instagramable cocktails, plus the legendary Bombardino, and the famous Bar Hütte shot-ski.
This year, there’ll be two city centre locations / Credit: Bar Hütte
Those heading down can enjoy karaoke for up to eight people in a Cosy Karaoke Hütte, or celebrate on a larger scale in a Party Lodge for up to 20 people.
Adam Brady, from HBD – which is one of the Kampus developers, said ahead of Bar Hütte’s arrival: “Bar Hütte will transform the Kampus garden from the perfect summer spot to the go-to festive hangout [and] we’ll be swapping festival bunting for fairy lights, with the cosy hüttes nestled within the trees, and Après Ski Bungalow providing a proper slice of winter escapism in the heart of Manchester.”
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At the weekends, and in the lead-up to the big day, there are family-friendly Santa Claus Club sessions too – which includes a karaoke hütte for one hour, hot chocolate, and colouring pads for the kids, plus the chance to get a picture with Santa Claus.
15 cosy private hüttes will be neatly-positioned under twinkling lights / Credit: Bar Hütte
There are also wreath-making sessions to get involved in at both locations, complete with a complimentary glass of prosecco or mulled wine.
Both Bar Hütte at Kampus and Bar Hütte at Great Northern Square will be open to the public on Wednesday 8 November, and bookings have just launched.
Oldham man jailed for ‘non-contact’ child sex offences after pretending to be 15-year-old boy online
Emily Sergeant
A man from Oldham has been sentenced to time behind bars for what police have described as ‘non-contact’ child sex offences.
Ryan Greenhow appeared at Manchester Crown Square Court yesterday (Tuesday 24 February 2026) to be sentenced, after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 22 counts of non-contact child sex offences – including child sexual exploitation, sharing images or film to cause alarm, causing or inciting a child aged under 16 to engage in sexual activity, and malicious communications.
The offences occurred between November 2024 and March 2025, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
It involved Greenhow contacting six victims via different social media platforms including WhatsApp, TikTok, and Snapchat.
The 37-year-old then blackmailed the victims into sending him indecent images.
Pretending to be a teenage boy, he would send the victims – who police say were aged between 12-15 years old at the time – an indecent image, making claims that the image depicted them when it was actually a picture of a naked woman obtained from the internet, and the proceeded to threaten to send the image to their friends and family if the victims did not do exactly as he said.
This led to Greenhow making demands for indecent images from victims across the country, in areas like Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and even further afield in Buckinghamshire.
He would go on to send numerous text messages threatening his victims, including saying: “This is your last chance, everyone will know this is you” and “I have seen your nudes, add me”. On some occasions, police say the victims would respond that she did not know what they were talking about, but kept receiving messages telling them that it was their “last chance”.
Some of the victims did send Greenhow images, and reported his activity to their parents, carers, and school teachers.
At his sentencing this week, Greenhow was jailed for seven years and four months, and will also be made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Speaking following Greenhow’s sentencing, Detective Constable Adair, of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “Greenhow used several different social media platforms pretending to be a 15-year-old boy and followed the same method with each of his victims – sending them random images obtained from the internet, falsely attributing them to the victim, then threatening to share the image with the victim’s friends and family in exchange for an indecent image of the victim.
“Once our investigation was underway, detailed phone analysis led to us identifying further victims. Officers worked to safeguard these victims from any further harm.
“This sentencing is part of our wider work to tackle child sexual exploitation and we’re committed to protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Local BID board launch new ‘Visit Alty’ app ahead of Taste of Altrincham 2026
Danny Jones
One of Trafford’s resident BID (Business Improvement District) board have officially launched their brand-new ‘Visit Alty’ app for the market town ahead of this year’s A Taste of Altrincham festival.
Set to be a dedicated one-stop where residents can find out what’s going on in and around the area, the platform is already available on the likes of the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android phones.
As A Taste of Alty returns for 2026, this is just the second instalment in the total 10-day food and drink party – with a big opening weekend celebration starting this Friday, 27 February – the latest innovation by Altrincham BID is hoping to keep residents more up to date on their village than ever.
Sponsored by native law firm Myerson Solicitors and supported by various local businesses, the sophomore edition of the now annual festivities serves as the ideal staging event for the fledgling Visit Altrincham app.
Running until Sunday, 8 March, A Taste of Altrincham is even bigger this time around. (Credit: Press shot)
With a full programme events kicking off this weekend, the app itself is ideal for keeping track of everything going.
In addition to workshops, live demos by regional chefs, supper clubs, wine tastings, the latest ‘Ultimate Pudding Competition’ and lots of other special events, it can be hard to keep track of everything.
That why, like any good festival, the app has a full map and guide featuring all the key info.
Beyond just the event itself, the app itself is aimed at supporting local independents and more by helping to increase their exposure, sign-post daytrippers to the old Cheshire holdout’s best bits, and push more and more people to one of the borough’s blossoming suburb in general.
Teaming up with a number of popular locations in and around the town centre, it’s a real come one, come all affair – just as things should be.
Residents and visitors alike can also found physical printed copies of the full Taste of Alty ’26 programme nearby at the likes of Altrincham Library, the Bee Network Interchange, as well as OYEZ Arts at the Town Hall.
Created with digital town hub partners, Loqiva, co-founder Marcus Chidgey said in a statement: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Altrincham BID to support Altrincham’s continued growth.
“With a strong independent business scene, an award-winning Market and excellent transport connections to Manchester, the Visit Altrincham app offers a new way for people to discover and explore the town.”
As for the local BID department, Alty’s director Mandy White added: “If you haven’t downloaded the Visit Altrincham app yet, now is the perfect time. It’s a simple way to find out what’s on, discover local businesses and unlock exclusive offers, especially during A Taste of Altrincham.
“The app helps people get more from their visit while supporting our independent businesses and high street brands.”
The Visit Altrincham app is FREE to download right now – you can find it HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
7th September 2023 
