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.
New details released ahead of world-premiere exhibition taking visitors on ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
Some exciting new details of a major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ in Manchester next month have been revealed.
Making its world premiere, Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum in a few weeks time.
Announced in November last year fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos opens in a few weeks time / Credit: Drew Forsyth (Science Museum Group)
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
Newly announced are the names of some of the different exciting areas of the exhibition, like ‘Awesome Astronauts’, where life aboard the International Space Station is revealed, and ‘Mysterious Moon’ where visitors explore the only place beyond Earth ever visited by humans.
There’s also ‘Sizzling Sun’, ‘Weird Worlds’, and sensory spaces like the ‘Cosy Crater’ and ‘Dreadful Deep Space’ to make the most of.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Featured Image – Drew Forsyth (Science Museum Group)
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Printworks set to host a FREE music festival headlined by local music veterans
Danny Jones
You heard us right, Printworks is expanding its wide-ranging calendar of entertainment and leisure in 2026 with its very own completely free music festival here in Manchester.
Better still, it’s set to be headlined by some cult favourites.
The one-off event will debut next month to celebrate the arrival of the 2026 BRIT Awards, with the annual ceremony and accompanying seven days of intimate live shows coming to the city of Manchester for the very first time.
Set to take place from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening, 27-28 February (4-10pm and 2-10, respectively), the open access weekender has been dubbed ‘Live and Loud’.
Judging by the lineup of artists announced for Printworks’ debut music festival, we have every faith it will live up to the name.
As well as Manchester DJ Matt Hydes kicking things off, followed by the likes of R’n’B soul artist, KingFast, resident Reform Radio MC Urbi will also be joining the lineup, as well as regional dance veteran, Gareth James, and an intimate set by Sabira Jade.
That’s just a small handful of those who signed up to play the inaugural Live & Loud 2025.
As for your headliners, we’re buzzing to confirm that local house legends K-Klass are topping the bill; they may be from Chester, but they’ve been based here for ages and are practically part of the cultural fabric at this point.
You can see the full Live and Loud lineup and Printworks artist spotlight down below:
Friday, 27 Feb, 2026
Tristan Walsh
2Vibe
Urbi
KingFast
Honey Bee Jazz Band
Matt Hydes
Sat, 28
K-Klass
Matt Walsh & Jay Murt
Sabira Jade
Gareth James
Kick Back Sundays
Jorge Martin
Guy Connor
Emma Ellis
Printworks general manager, Dan Davis, said in an official statement: “Manchester is renowned for its musical heritage, and we are excited to bring music to life here at Printworks.
“Live & Loud will place Manchester artists front and centre, with an eclectic line-up that is diverse in genre, background and generation – reflecting our commitment to championing a wide range of local and upcoming artistic talent for a must-attend weekend of live music.”
In case you missed it, this brand-new event also comes amid a raft of small-capacity fundraising shows across the country.
Colette Burroughs-Rose, Director at Genre Music, added: “Live & Loud is Manchester in full voice – familiar faces and new names coming together under one roof across two standout days.
“This is Genre Music’s home city, and we’re proud to be partnering with Printworks on a music programme that welcomes everyone: family-friendly by day, great for evenings with friends.
“Alongside curating a truly eclectic mix of the city’s incredible DJs and live acts, we’re also capturing the artists’ stories on film to help amplify their voices and creativity beyond the stage.”
With the BRIT Awards being hosted at the Co-op Live arena not just this Feb but until 2027 as well, here’s hoping this is just the inaugural ‘L&L Fest and we at least get a sophomore edition next year.
There’s plenty of other music festivals happening in Greater Manchester throughout the year, especially this summer.
Sounds From The Other City has released its 2026 lineup, and there's set to be more than 100 exciting acts playing on 17 stages across #Salford. 🎶🎸
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2022 
