Lightopia is all set to make another return to Heaton Park with a new Christmas-themed immersive experience this year.
Getting ready to once again light up Manchester and captivate audiences for the fourth year in a row, award-winning illuminations event Lightopia is promising to bring the magic of Christmas back to the grounds of Heaton Park from this November – with a brand-new immersive experience set to take over the park until January.
Through brand-new and unseen audiovisual displays, this year’s festival is promising to be a “once-in-a-lifetime adventure” for the all the family to enjoy.
This year’s trail follows the story of new beginnings and the circle of life.
Beginning at the ‘Guardian Gate’, you will be transported into a winter wonderland decorated by a blanket of shooting stars with the ‘Essence of Light’ display, before following the winding mystical path to the ‘Mythical Forrest’ – a Christmas realm that suitably celebrates the festive season with giant baubles, trees, and presents.
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Lightopia is returning with a new Christmas-themed ‘immersive experience’ this year / Credit: Lightopia
The ‘Secret Flower Garden’ lights up the natural greenery of the park with a collection of glowing fauna wrapped around the branches above and the grass below, and then, in a display that festival organisers say is curated especially for younger guests called the ‘Book of Rebirth’, little Mancs can unlock their imagination with friendly animated animals.
The kid’s zone will also feature interactive musical tiles for everyone to interact and play with.
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The vibrant ‘Ying Yang’ display and ‘Tranquility Arch’ – which is home to colourful swans and butterflies – are some of the other displays to catch this year.
The Lightopia team say guests should then “prepare your senses” for the ‘Phoenix’ – which is this year’s main event that is new for 2022, and invites you to experience the heart of the festival through sound and light with a five-minute A/V show that will “push the boundaries” of music through the captivating display.
The award-winning illuminations event will bring the magic of Christmas back to the grounds of Heaton Park / Credit: Lightopia
The immersive adventure ends with the grand finale ‘Lakeside Water Show’ – a spectacle of moving creatures and patterns projected across the lake and fountain.
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Speaking ahead of Lightopia’s return to Manchester for the fifth year, Ian Xiang – Creative Director of Lightopia – said: “We are delighted to share the magic of Lightopia 2022 with families in Manchester and beyond and we hope this immersive experience will bring together friends and loved ones through the power of light and sound.
“Not only have we created a fantastical world, full of happiness, illumination, and charm, we hope by offering families a more affordable experience, they can escape for an evening filled with festive magic at Christmas.”
Lightopia 2022 is promising to be a “once-in-a-lifetime adventure” for the all the family to enjoy / Credit: Lightopia
Lightopia returns from Thursday 24 November 2022 – Monday 2 January 2023.
With tickets set to go on general sale at 9am on Friday 16 September, the public will be able to visit the festival every day – except for when it’s closed on Christmas Day – between 5pm to 10pm, with last entry being 8:30pm.
New for 2022, Lightopia has announced a new ticketing system to help families with rising living costs, with an off-peak option on selected weekdays.
This year’s trail follows the story of new beginnings and the circle of life / Credit: Lightopia
Advance tickets are priced at £17.50 for adults off-peak and £22.50 at peak times, from £11 – £14.50 for children – with those under three going free – and £49 for families of two adults and two children off-peak and £69 for peak times. Essential carers of disabled visitors can also attend for free when the disabled visitor pays the normal admission fee.
For a limited time, you can also get an exclusive 20% off tickets by registering here.
A new festive light maze is heading to Cheshire for the first time this December
Thomas Melia
A brand new attraction is making its way to Cheshire for the first time ever this December with the hopes to get us all into the festive spirit.
Just outside of Manchester, titled‘Spectrum: A World of Illumination’, this spectacular never-seen-before trail is lighting up Cheshire with a month-long residency in Knutsford.
Running every day in December besides Christmas Day, plus a few extra dates in November, the spectacular display will be inviting guests along for 30 out of 31 days in the yuletide month.
The immersive maze will feature moving giant candy canes, overhead Christmas-inspired installations like a laser show, and tunnels of light.
Visitors are encouraged to get stuck in with hidden objects and handles and buttons which lead to secret rooms and festive treasures to be found and explored throughout the attraction.
You can even create a Christmas carol medley of your own and sing to your heart’s content with a section of the trail featuring sound tubes.
There’s a mostly open top too, so you can look up into the night sky as you explore the maze.
There’s not only a feast for your eyes but also for your Santa bellies too as a selection ofhand-picked food vendors will be supplying tons of festive goodies to warm your soul.
A new festive light maze is heading to Cheshire for the first time this December. Credit: Supplied
Spectrum: A World of Illumination caters to everyone offering spaces for guide dogs, quieter time slots for those wanting a calmer experience and accessibility all-round where possible.
This is expected to be one of the best Christmas activities of the year, designed by specialists Access Events, who have some impressive feats behind them.
The multi award winning company has had involvement and created some of the most impressive light features to date including the Weather Project at the Tate, the e-Sports arena build, and turning the Berlin TV Tower into a football.
They’re so certain this event will do well there’s already news and information about a 2025 event between Access Events and Royal Cheshire Show Grounds.
Tickets for ‘Spectrum: A World of Illumination’ are already on sale and those of you who are eager to start planning your Christmas calendar can get tickets from Eventbrite.
MTV is hosting a week-long venue takeover with some exciting artists to celebrate the EMAs coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In case you haven’t heard, the MTV EMAs (European Music Awards) is coming to Manchester later this year, and to mark the massive occasion, they’re hosting a huge week-long takeover at some of the city’s best venues.
This may be a first for Manchester but this isn’t the only time the award ceremony has come to the UK, with London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast all having hosted it before, and with the world-leading Co-op Live now attracting endless global artists, the state-of-the-art venue was a no-brainer.
However, they’re no muppets, these MTV lot: they know that Manchester has one of if not the best music scenes on the planet and has some of the most influential venues to back it up, so they’ve decided to partner with several of them for a celebratory gig takeover.
Running from 5-9 November (Tuesday to Saturday), MTV Music Week will host a series of live music nights at some of the city’s best concert spots and nightlife destinations.
Showcasing both rising and well-established artists from Manchester and beyond, MTV‘s annual Music Week for the 2024 EMAs isn’t just sponsoring a few extra shows ahead of the awards do, they’ll also bespotlighting homegrown artists, hosting unforgettable performances as well as industry workshops.
With the likes of Rebellion, Band on the Wall and Soup Kitchen, as well as Depot Mayfield and Aviva Studios – home to The Warehouse Project and Factory International, respectively – all taking part, this is effectively a week-long tour of some Manc’s most magical music venues.
Acts that we’re excited to see include homegrown indie and alternative lads, Larkins; fast-rising electronic cult favourite, salute, as well as drum and bass duo Piri and Tommy, just to name a few.
Better still, with sub-brands like MTV Push Live, Club MTV and YO! MTV Raps hosting several of these stages, you can rest assured that there’s plenty of variety when it comes to genres.
Alongside MTV Music Week and the 2024 MTV EMAs, Paramount’s Creators House is also heading to Manchester that same week.
As part of their ‘Content for Change’ event series, this company-wide, social impact-led initiative will take place across between 7-9 November, with a packed slate of programming and networking opportunities aimed at Manchester’s creative community.
Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said of the event series: “Our music scene in Manchester is the stuff of legend and we’re known the world over for our brilliant musicians and iconic venues.
“Music Week will be a great showcase for our city and the stage is set for an incredible Manchester music takeover. A boost for the industry, our economy, and fantastic opportunities for some of our best homegrown artists as well as unforgettable performances for audiences to enjoy.”
The EMAs land on 10 November but before then, you can grab tickets for any of the 10 exciting events happening over MTV Music Week Manchester 2024 HERE. Catch you there!
Emily Sergeant -
14th September 2022 
