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Christmas karaoke, candy cane axe-throwing, and more – how to spend a festive day out at Great Northern

Tonnes of activities, all under one roof.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th December 2022

Belting out Christmas karaoke classics at an après ski-style village, throwing axes that look like candy canes, and feasting on new foods are just a handful of the things you could be getting up to over the next few festive weeks.

And all of this is on offer just in one place too.

Great Northern is a historic Grade II-listed leisure complex that’s home to some of the best-loved restaurants, bustling bars, eclectic independent businesses, and unique activity opportunities in the heart of Manchester city centre all year round, so if you’re looking for somewhere to escape the cold and get into the festive spirit, then you know where to head on down to.

Here’s our picks for four of the best places to go for a proper festive day out at Great Northern before we say goodbye to December.

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Throw candy cane-themed axes and feast on festive food

Whistle Punks

Merry Axemas / Credit: Whistle Punks

Fancy throwing some candy cane-themed axes and sipping on some mulled wine this Christmas?

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A trip to Whistle Punks at Great Northern is always an unforgettable experience, with each 70-minute session designed to make both newcomers and axe-throwing pros alike excel, with lots of top tricks taught to you by instructors, all before you take part in head-to-head tournaments to decide who is the throwing champ in your group.

But through the Christmas period, everything is just that little bit more festive.

Not only is there mulled wine on offer, plenty of mince pies and pigs in blankets to feast on, and special prosecco receptions available for those who enjoy the high life, but the axes you’ll be throwing are also red and white striped like candy cane, just to the whole thing even more Instagrammable.

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Tickets to Axemas at Whistle Punks Manchester start from £22 per person, and you can find out more and book your session here.

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Say hello to Santa, belt out Christmas classics, and do shots off a ski

Bar Hütte

Have you seen that popular après-ski village Bar Hütte is back?

Back and better than ever this year, with 15 cosy Alpine cabins dotted across the Great Northern square courtyard bringing a lively, festive, and vibrant atmosphere to the city centre, Bar Hütte is a great place for both families and groups of friends to head on down to at any time of the week during the festive season right through until the New Year.

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Inspired by some of the coolest après ski bars in Europe, Bar Hütte has everything from live music and free-flowing festive drinks, to the chance to try out the bar’s legendary ‘shot skis’, as well sing-along to all of your favourite tunes inside a private wooden karaoke cabin that’s festooned with twinkling tights.

The Gingerbread Old Fashioned, The Alpine, and Bar Hütte’s famous mulled wine are just some of the festive themed drinks and cocktails that can be brought to you by your very-own hütte host, all while you belt out Christmas karaoke classics.

Bar Hütte is also the only bar in the UK to serve up authentic Bombardinos – a warm Advocaat-based drink topped with cream that’s especially popular in Italian ski resorts.

For the little ones looking to say hello to the big red man himself, the family-friendly Santa Claus Club gives you the chance to meet Santa and get a picture with him, all before singing-along in a karaoke hutte for one hour, sipping on hot chocolate, and playing with some free colouring pads.

You can find out more about everything happening at Bar Hütte this year here.

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‘Get galactic’ and skate the day away

Paradise Skate World

Get Galactic / Credit: Paradise Skate World

Paradise Skate World is one of Manchester’s newest roller rinks.

A hugely-popular addition to the Great Northern Warehouse this year, Paradise Skate World is currently hosting a series of ‘Get Galactic’ parties every Saturday throughout December, and it means families and groups of friends can head on down and have a cosmic Christmas celebration.

With the party starting at 6:30pm and running through to 9:30pm, the skating isn’t all the fun you have to look forward to.

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While making your way around the rink, you’ll also get to enjoy a live DJ, make the most of a glitter face painting station, and try out a brand-new selection of Christmas cocktails and mocktails – including this year’s special, the ‘Intergalatic Reindeer’.

Make suer to keep an eye out too, as alien elves will also be rocking around the rink.

You can find out more and book here.

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Tuck into an authentic Polish festive feast

Platzki

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Platzki / Credit: Phil Tragen

What better way to finish off your festive day out than with a proper Polish festive feast at Platzki

A fixture in the city since 2018, this popular Deansgate spot with a gorgeous plant-filled terrace that backs onto the Great Northern Warehouse, prides itself on providing an interesting list of Polish wines and vodka, alongside an ever-evolving menu filled with traditional dishes like dumplings, pork neck and meatballs – all served on beautiful Polish-made plates imported from abroad.

Serving up a new Ukrainian-inspired breakfast menu from 10am every weekend throughout the festive season, as well as lunch from 12pm-5pm, and the main evening menu from 5pm-9pm, Platzki is a real gem in the heart of Manchester city centre.

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If you’re a fan of Polish cuisine, or you’re keen to try something new, then Platzki is well worth a look in, and we can’t recommend it highly enough here at The Manc.

You can read more about why we love Platzki here.

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Find out more about everything happening this Christmas at Great Northern here.

Featured Image – Great Northern Warehouse

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Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport

Danny Jones Danny Jones What's new at T2 Manchester Airport?

It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.

T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.

Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.

As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.

Credit: The Manc

With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.

And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.

In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.

From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.

There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.

Inside Great Northern Market, the huge new food hall at Manchester Airport T2
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.

You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’

For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.

Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.

Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.

Credit: The Manc Eats

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.

Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.

And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.

You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.

Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.

Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied

As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.

200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.

On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.

An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.

“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.

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“We endeavour to ensure that all visitors feel comfortable and welcome when spending time at Printworks.”

Find out more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week on Printworks’ website here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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