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Manchester Airport unveils bumper Christmas makeover with Santa’s Grotto and last-minute shopping ideas

Holiday mode activated

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 19th December 2024

Christmas has officially landed at Manchester Airport, and with an estimated 1.1m of us travelling through the busy transport hub in the coming weeks, the airport is really kicking off the festivities. 

The halls have been decked with all sorts of festive touches, like a 20ft Christmas tree in Terminal 2, and plenty more glitter and sparkle around the entire airport. 

There are dozens of discounts on stocking fillers as part of Manchester Airport’s ‘Holidays Mode Activated’ campaign, along with festive menus at bars and restaurants.

A Santa’s Grotto in Terminal 1’s free play area, the Little Flyers Zone, will be open until Wednesday 18 December, where little Mancs can send off their list to the big man with a Letters to Santa Station. 

Santa himself will be on hand to greet families on Thursday and Fridays, but his elves will be there throughout the next few weeks too. 

There are more than 200 destinations you can fly directly to from Manchester, from city breaks to other Christmas markets to snatched fortnights of sunshine to flights to spend the festive break with loved ones. 

You can do your Christmas shopping at Manchester Airport with brilliant businesses like The Sculpts
You can do your Christmas shopping at Manchester Airport with brilliant businesses like The Sculpts

And whether you’re one of those who’s panicked and left your shopping until the last minute, or are biding your time to save cash on beauty, booze and fragrance at World Duty Free, you can tick everything off your list on your way home for Christmas. 

Shops at Manchester Airport include legendary toy shop Hamleys, fragrance favourite Jo Malone, and sportswear brand JD Sports. 

You can stock up on gifts like fashion accessories from shops like BOSS and Accessorize, or get all your gifts for 2024 in one go at duty free. 

And don’t miss The Sculpts, a Manchester-based design business operated by a local couple, who sell a range of handmade homeware and souvenirs including their signature alphabet tiles. 

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: “Christmas is a magical time here at Manchester Airport. 

“We’re always proud to connect the North to the world but the importance of that role really shines through at this time of year. It feels wonderful when you see travellers having emotional reunions in arrivals and families in departures getting ready to visit Father Christmas in Lapland.

“It’s also always a popular time to fly and, having broken our passenger records every month for well over a year now, we expect this Christmas to be the biggest and busiest we’ve ever seen with over a million passengers flying in the two-week festive period. 

“Not only will those passengers receive a great service – last month 82% of our passengers waited less than five minutes to get to security – but they will also be able to soak up some of the magic we have here, including Santa’s grotto in our Little Flyers Zone in Terminal 1 and choirs singing carols at various spots in all three terminals.

“We can’t wait to welcome passengers to Manchester Airport this festive season.”

Read more: Aer Lingus is serving ‘classic’ Christmas dinners in the sky this festive period

Featured image: Supplied

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Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer

A brand-new pub has opened slap bang in the middle of the Northern Quarter – take a look inside The Faraday. 

This pub is just off the bustling Stevenson Square and has bags of stuff on offer. 

Spread across two floors on the site that was previously 7Sins, you’ll find live music, games, cocktails, and of course plenty of pints. 

The Lever Street venue has been totally transformed into a cosy space inspired by traditional British boozers. 

We’re talking vintage pub mirrors, mismatched bar stools, wood paneled walls, deep burgundy leather banquette seating and a fresh lick of dark green paint. 

And this smart pub has got the space to become a live music gem for the Northern Quarter, with live music every Wednesday to Sunday.

Downstairs, there’s still a wide range of games to keep you entertained, including pool tables (which are unlimited play for your booking), electric darts, and shuffleboard. 

The Faraday’s drinks menu boasts loads of classic cocktails, including margaritas, old fashioneds (including a tequila version), and a selection of sours. 

In pictures: The Faraday pub opens in Manchester

Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer
Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer
Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer
Inside The Faraday Pub, the Northern Quarter’s newest boozer
Inside The Faraday Pub

When happy hour rolls around (6pm til 10pm every evening but Saturday) you can get £5 drinks including pints of Guinness, and a selection of spritzes.

On draft there are fan favourites like Guinness, Mahou, Corona, Lowenbrau, Jubel Peach, Camden Pale, Kopparberg, and Camden Hells.

There’s a decent amount of outside seating for when the sun has got his hat on, too, with full sunshine in the afternoons.

The Faraday is open until 1am during the week, and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. 

It’s open now at 43-45 Lever Street in the Northern Quarter. 

They’ll be giving away a free pint to the first 100 people to visit on Friday 1 August from 5pm. You just need to show you’re following The Faraday on Instagram. 

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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Here & Now – The Steps Musical is coming to Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Here & Now - The Steps Musical is coming to Manchester

A musical inspired by pop band Steps is coming to Manchester this year, and the principal cast for Here & Now has now been confirmed. 

The musical features Steps’ most beloved hit songs, including Tragedy, Heartbeat, Stomp, the One For Sorrow, Better Best Forgotten, 5,6,7,8, Last Thing On My Mind, Love’s Got A Hold Of My Heart, Chain Reaction, and many more. 

The story is set in seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it’s Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone’s dancing in the aisles. 

But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Have they all lost their chance of a ‘happy ever after’? Or does love have other plans in store…?

Here & Now has an original book by Shaun Kitchener and is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with choreography by Olivier Award-winning Matt Cole and Matt Spencer-Smith as musical supervisor, orchestrator and arranger.

The show is produced by Steps themselves, ROYO, and pop legend Pete Waterman.

Producers have now confirmed that Rebecca Lock will star as Caz, returning from the original run in Birmingham. 

Here & Now – The Steps Musical is coming to Manchester

Finty Williams will play Patricia, Blake Patrick Anderson will be Robbie, River Medway (fan favourite on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, BBC) is Jem, Edward Baker Duly (The King and I) as Max and John Stacey as Lesley.

There are new cast members joining the principal cast too, including Jacqui Dubois (Ghost The Musical UK tour) as Vel, Chris Grahamson (NOW That’s What I Call A Musical UK and Ireland tour) as Gareth and Rosie Singha (& Juliet UK and Ireland tour) as Neeta.

Set design by Tom Rogers, costume design by Gabriella Slade, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Adam Fisher, wigs, hair and makeup design by Sam Cox, casting by Will Burton for Grindrod Burton Casting, Music Technology by Phij Adams with Production Management by Setting Line.

Steps are one of the biggest pop bands of a generation, made up of Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee. 

In their career they achieved 14 top five singles, four number one albums, 22 million record sales, 500 million streams and 11 sold-out national arena tours.  

Steps’ 2017 comeback tour was one of the biggest pop tours of that year, with 300,000 tickets sold, and they’ve continued to release new music.

You can find out more about Here & Now and book tickets HERE. 

Featured image: Supplied

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