A brand-new festive light trail is heading to Greater Manchester this winter, transforming the hidden Wilderspool Woods at the Trafford Centre into a twinkling wonderland.
The 4.5-acre event will fill paths and treetops with festive magic, from giant overhead shooting stars to huge illuminated presents.
There’ll be an impressive selection of festive street food on offer curated by Freight Island, too.
The Christmas Trail comes from the same team behind The Twilight Trail, which took over Mayfield Park last winter.
And it follows in the footsteps of the upcoming The Halloween Trail, which promises to mesmerise rather than terrify its visitors with dazzling light installations.
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Back to the festive version though – The Christmas Trail will be bringing dozens of jaw-dropping light and interactive illuminations to the woods from November all the way through to the new year.
These will include The Moon, a giant glowing sculpture suspended between the trees and surrounded by stars and beams of light, and Father Christmas’s hidden treasures of giant glowing presents hidden among the trees.
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Shooting Stars will see a twinkling four-metre-high star shine up in the treetops, sending dozens of smaller stars shooting across the canopy.
Giant Orbs will glow and pulse with colour, while delicate origami boats float on the water’s edge.
Fallen Stars will cascade down from the branches overhead, with LED stars sparkling in mesmerising patterns and falling snowflakes tumbling down.
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As visitors weave their way around the light trail they’ll be treated to a sound track of holiday classics and upbeat tunes.
The Freight Island-curated food pop-up will feature Flock, serving Southern-fried buttermilk chicken; Mega Gyros with authentic Greek wraps, loaded fries and kids’ meals; Cabin Chocolat (hot chocolate creations and signature boozy hot chocolates); Winter Warmers (mulled wine and other festive beverages); and Soft Boi (donuts and crepes with festive flavours).
Plus, special guest trader Heard, the new burger venture from two Michelin-starred chef Jordan Bailey, will return with mouth-watering seasonal smash burgers made using the finest ingredients from eco-friendly farms.
Dan Morris, co-founder of Trafford Trails, said: “We’re thrilled to transform Wilderspool Woods into a Christmas wonderland this year. It promises to be a magical experience filled with incredible light displays, interactive moments, and delicious food.”
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re delighted to bring a new festive experience to Trafford this Christmas.
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“Collaborating once again with Freight Island and other fantastic partners, we’ve created an unforgettable celebration of light, joy, and seasonal magic. We can’t wait to see Wilderspool Woods sparkle this Christmas.”
The Christmas Trail will launch on Friday 8 November and will run every day from 4pm until Thursday 2 January 2025.
Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting from £8 for children, £10 for adults, and family tickets from £32.
Free parking is available for all ticket holders, with convenient transport links also available via tram and bus.
For more information and to book tickets, head HERE.
Manchester’s beautiful winter Teepee is back, with free pints this weekend and live music every day
Daisy Jackson
Nothing heralds the arrival of the autumn/winter seasons quite like the appearance of The Oast House’s beautiful winter Teepee.
The popular seasonal space is officially reopening its doors this weekend, and inside you’ll find roaring fires, a giant disco ball, live music, and plenty of pints to keep the colder months feeling a little less grim.
After giving its beer garden a major glow-up this spring and hosting a summer packed with live music, The Oast House is bringing back one of Manchester’s favourite winter hangouts – and it’s kicking things off with a proper belter of an opening weekend.
We’re talking twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, and a dedicated bar pouring Staropramen fresh from the tank, all inside its massive winter Teepee.
And there’s even better news for the first few through the door.
To celebrate the Teepee’s return, The Oast House team will be cracking open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday 10 October, with free pints up for grabs for the first 440 guests.
There’ll be live music every night in the winter TeepeeManchester’s cosiest venue is back
The Teepee will be keeping things lively seven nights a week throughout autumn and winter, with The Oast House’s much-loved Open House programme moving indoors for the season.
Expect everything from Bandeoke and Musical Bingo to Retro Sounds and Oast Acoustic sessions, meaning there’ll be something different on the cards every night of the week.
The venue’s free monthly live music festival, Oast House Live, isn’t going anywhere either. It’ll continue inside the Teepee on the last Saturday of every month, bringing even more live music to the heart of Spinningfields.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Oast House without a menu worth getting stuck into.
The kitchen will be serving up its 12-hour-brined rotisserie chicken, alongside a line-up of tempting sides like Ziggy Fries tossed in chicken salt and chicken butter, cheddar and onion slaw, and charred corn on the cob drenched in house-made Scotch bonnet butter.
Food in The Oast House Winter TeepeeThere’ll be 450 free pints given away on SaturdayRotisserie chicken
And if you’re after something a bit different, the house-special ‘addictive’ Chicken (T)oastie is one you won’t want to miss.
Sundays are all about the roast, too, with the kitchen dishing up its signature rotisserie chicken alongside chicken-butter roasties tossed in chicken salt, all the trimmings and bottomless house chicken gravy.
Basically, if you’re after somewhere to escape the cold without sacrificing a good night out, you know where to head.
The Oast House and its Winter Teepee are open daily from 11am until late throughout the season.
The Oast House Winter Teepee opens Saturday 10 October, with free Staropramen pints for the first 440 guests.
For more information and to book your table, head HERE.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month
Emily Sergeant
A popular adults-only ‘after hours’ event is returning to Manchester later this month… and there’s some spooky surprises in store.
If you need an excuse to leave the little Mancs at home, or you just fancy releasing your inner child, then one of Manchester’s most visited museums might have just what you’re looking for, as the Science and Industry Museum has announced that its popular After Hours event especially for adults is returning for one night only at the end of the month.
The museum will become your playground once it’s closed for the day as you settle in for a unique evening of live music, giant interactive games, and spooky surprises for Halloween.
Science and Industry Museum’s adults-only ‘after hours’ event returns with a Halloween twist this month / Credit: Science Museum Group
The Museum’s permanent galleries and displays will be open after hours, so you can get hands-on with science in Experiment, meet mighty machines in the Textiles Gallery, and discover Manchester‘s rich legacy of industrial innovations, creativity, and world-changing ideas in Revolution Manchester.
You’ll also get free access to the popular Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos exhibition, which just opened earlier this year, and get to indulge your playful side in Power Up – with more than 150 consoles to choose from in the ultimate gaming extravaganza.
Especially for spooky season, you can look forward to some very special one-off events too, like stellar performances from Manchester drag royalty, Anna Phylactic, a cosmic cabaret with live vocals, and a monster mash-up soundtrack guaranteed to get you into the Halloween spirit.
There’ll also be a chance to meet Albert Slime-stein – a larger-than-life monster popping up the museum as part of Halloween in the City’s iconic Manchester Monsters trail.
And as this is an adults-only event, the museum’s events bar will be open on the night, serving up a wide range of wines, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks to wet your whistle while you’re looking around, with some delicious food to accompany too.
Museum After Hours is happening on Thursday 29 October from 7pm-10pm, with tickets setting you back £12 each or £6 for concessions.
Daisy Jackson -
18th October 2024 
