The Bridgewater Hall has unveiled its series of Christmas events, featuring family-friendly events, Christmas carol sing-alongs, and magical ballet.
The festive season at the beautiful arts venue will be absolutely packed with seasonal cheer and incredible performances.
Several of the events are geared towards younger theatre-goers, including Raymond Briggs’ animated classic The Snowman and the Halle’s Family Concert.
On Christmas Eve, people will be invited to sing along to Christmas classics, with an orchestra and a choir.
Here’s everything included in The Bridgewater Hall’s Christmas events series.
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A Dickensian Christmas – 11 December
A Dickensian Christmas at Bridgewater Hall. Credit: Publicity picture
This event will feature a selection of Victorian carols, classics, and readings from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Songs will include Joy to the World, Ding Dong Merrily on High, and In the Bleak Midwinter, plus carols like Good King Wenceslas and O Come All Ye Faithful.
The soundtracks from the greatest Christmas films of all time will be brought to life by the Manchester Concert Orchestra at The Bridgewater Hall this month.
Songs will come from the likes of Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Snowman, Gremlins, White Christmas, The Polar Express, E.T., and Miracle on 34th Street.
It’ll be festive overload when the ultimate Christmas party returns to The Bridgewater Hall, with special guest singers Kerry Ellis and Ricardo Afonso.
They’ll be joined by Jingle Bell dancers for an extravaganza of music, song and dance, including Step Into Christmas, Fairytale of New York, and Let It Snow.
Horrible Histories – Horrible Christmas – 20 December
Hit children’s brand Horrible Histories will be back on the stage with a Christmas tale this year.
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They say: “When Christmas comes under threat from a jolly man dressed in red, it’s up to one young boy to save the day – but can he save Christmas?
“From Victorian villains to Medieval monks, Puritan parties to Tudor treats, join us on a hair-raising adventure through the history of Christmas in the company of Charles Dickens, Oliver Cromwell, King Henry VIII and St Nicholas as they all join forces to save the festive season!”
Warm up your vocal cords and get ready for the biggest, most festive sing-along of the year.
Jonathan Cohen will lead audiences through Christmas songs and seasonal classics like Frosty the Snowman, Merry Christmas Everyone, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and a whole host of carols too.
The UK’s most renowned big band is returning, swinging back in time playing Glenn Miller’s own arrangements of favourite wartime chart toppers and hits from the forties, directed by legendary band leader Ray McVay.
Expect songs like In the Mood, Little Brown Jug, Moonlight Serenade, American Patrol and The Dam Busters March.
One of the world’s best-loved ballets will be back at The Bridgewater Hall, sweeping audiences away to a fairytale world where toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse-king and his mouse-army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins.
It’s the first time the critically acclaimed Varna International Ballet have performed in the UK.
BOX sports bar on Deansgate is putting on the perfect night out for fans of horse racing
Danny Jones
With Cheltenham Festival 2024 coming up, both casual punters and die-hard horse racing fans are getting ready for the massive sporting weekend and Deansgate’s beloved sports bar, BOX, has come up with the perfect event to get in the mood for it.
Put simply, if you like the thrill of horse racing or the idea of race day vibes but aren’t so keen on the real thing, this might be perfect for you.
Simply dubbed ‘Race Night’, the new monthly series combines the virtual world and interactive games with one of the biggest sporting disciplines on the planet, as well as plenty of booze and food to go along with it. Oh yeah, and plenty of friendly competition, of course.
Revolving around a virtual horse racing simulator which everyone inside the bar can get involved with, BOX’s mini Manc version of Cheltenham has already got underway and you can be a part of it – plus it goes towards a good cause too.
Having now visited ourselves, we can confirm Race Night brings a proper party atmosphere and a healthy dose of wanting to rub your victory in your friends’ faces.
Don’t worry, they get plenty of those too, even if not the bragging rights all for themselves.
As you can see, it’s all quite simple: you place bets on the virtual horse racing events via your phone and watch the heats live on the many big screens located around BOX bar’s massive Manchester venue on the main Deansgate strip.
With a total of five races to try and win during the night, you’ll have plenty of chances to holler your head off and cheer on your winner. Whether you’re a pro, a ‘once-a-year flutter’ kind of person, or just joining your mates for a laugh, we can certainly voucher for the vibes.
Better yet, beyond the user-fuelled action on the telly, there’s plenty more entertainment to be enjoyed on the night, from BOX‘s regular DJs and live music to plenty of other interactive party games to give other guests a chance to win extra prizes.
A very fun and often silly party. (Credit: The Manc Group)
‘What’s the top prize?’, we hear you ask: how does a £200 bar tab sound?
Even from entry, your £5 entry fee scores you a complimentary glass of prosecco upon arrival and, as always, there’s plenty of delicious food and drink to tide you over throughout the night.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how Race Night works:
Guests place their bets with fun money tokens through our virtual bookies on their phones.
You can bet on multiple horses per race but you are only paid out for the winner.
This payout goes directly into each of their betting accounts so will change throughout the event.
Odds are worked out via the software and vary by however many people bet on the same horse.
Races are pre-recorded – it all comes down to the luck of which horse you pick.
The winner is the person at the end who has the most fun money in their betting account.
The overall winner gets a £200 bar tab.
Table downstairs for our live band at 9pm.
Two rounds of the ‘Chair Jockey’ game: first to pop the balloon gets a round of shots for their table.
Put your inhibitions aside, folks – there’s booze to be won. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Set to happen every month, with the next event taking place from 7-9pm on Friday, 14 March – the week of this year’s Cheltenham Festival – you don’t want to miss out on the unique virtual and immersive sporting event.
You’ll also be glad to hear that all profits from the tickets, which are again just a fiver, will be donated to MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association), with a guaranteed minimum donation of £2.50.
Before you inevitably get off your seat to cheer on a digital horse and jockey, you can book yours HERE.
With just a few days left of the competition, it also happens to be one of the best places to watch the 2025 Six Nations.
Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2022 
