Park N Party’s Christmas City has returned to Greater Manchester, screening festive classics at its drive-in cinema.
The immersive drive-in experience has opened its doors and will be showing Christmas blockbusters right through until New Year’s Eve.
This week alone, Christmas City’s line-up includes family favourites like Elf and Home Alone, which families will be able to enjoy together from the safety of their own cars.
There’s romance in the air too, as hit romcom The Holiday hits the big screen, plus screenings of Miracle on 34th Street, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Santa Clause.
The fun continues right the way through until December 31, and next week features some festive family action like Abominable, A Christmas Carol, and The Polar Express.
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Visitors will also be able to park up for cosy viewings of The Polar Express, The Christmas Chronicles, and A Christmas Carol.
Later in its run, Christmas City will throw a fancy dress extravaganza while screening Disney blockbuster Frozen – and there’ll be prizes for the best-dressed.
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Christmas City has taken over a new location at the Soccer Dome in Stretford.
It brings the biggest outdoor screen in the UK – a whopping 150 sq metres – to our home city.
As well as the films, visitors will travel through a Christmas Village with live actors and plenty of festive surprises.
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Kids can post their letters to Santa in the dedicated Christmas post box and explore the North Pole – Santa Claus himself will even be there to greet people.
There are photo opportunities available with scenes from Elf and The Grinch, plus a fully-licensed bar and festive food vendors.
The line-up for Christmas City – December 2 to December 12
The Holiday – Thursday December 2, 8pm
Home Alone – Friday December 3, 8pm
Elf – Saturday December 4, 2pm
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The Santa Clause – Saturday December 4, 5pm
Miracle on 34th Street – Saturday December 4, 8pm
How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Sunday December 5, 2pm
Home Alone – Sunday December 5, 5pm
Elf – Sunday December 5, 8pm
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Elf – Wednesday December 8, 8pm
A Christmas Carol – Thursday December 9, 8pm
Christmas With The Coopers – Friday December 10, 8pm
Abominable – Saturday December 11, 2pm
The Polar Express – Saturday December 11, 5pm
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Office Christmas Party – Saturday December 11, 8pm
The Christmas Chronicles – Sunday December 12, 2pm
You can also book a premium Christmas pod, which seats six people, for £66.
Featured Image – Park N Party
Things To Do
Makeup stations, drag shows, and selfie spots to take over Manchester Arndale ahead of Pride weekend
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Arndale has announced details of a huge Pride takeover to warm the city up for Manchester Village Pride.
The centre will be filled with all sorts of installations, dazzling performances, pop-ups, and community projects to kick off the celebrations for another year.
Taking place this weekend (22 and 23 August), ahead of the main event in the Gay Village on the bank holiday weekend, Manchester Arndale wants to start the Pride celebrations in style.
Pose with Pride, in partnership with Manchester Village Pride, will include everything from makeup stations and selfie spots to live performances in the heart of the city.
So whether you’re looking for inspiration for your Pride makeup look, fancy watching a free drag show, or want to chat to some friendly faces from local LGBTQ+ organisations, Manchester Arndale has you covered.
There’s a minimum £3 donation required covering both the makeover and photo activities – but every penny goes directly to supporting Manchester Village Pride and its associated charities.
The Pose with Pride event will take place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August, and here’s everything that’s going on.
Visit the Pride selfie station
You don’t need to wait until you’re in the mix at Canal Street to get an iconic photo, not when Manchester Arndale is installing a colourful rainbow archway for the weekend.
You can strike your fiercest post at the Pride selfie station, and receive a digital print to take home on the day.
Get your glam nailed on
There’ll be makeup stations for Pride across Manchester Arndale
Want to look and feel like your best self for Manchester Village Pride? You’ll be able to find loads of beauty and makeup inspiration across Manchester Arndale this week.
There’ll be makeup beauty stations dotted all around the centre, including Sephora, Space NK, BPerfect, KIKO Milano, and Lush.
From rainbow glitter makeovers to Pride-inspired face art, you’ll definitely leave feeling fabulous and very inspired.
Catch a spectacular drag show
The brilliant dance collective Ghetto Fabulous will be taking over the rainbow carpet at Manchester Arndale, with spectacular performances all weekend.
Led by the fabulous Coco Cannelll, the talented troupe will be premiering their brand-new ‘Byoncé’ drag show in Manchester Arndale.
Performances will take place at 1pm, 3pm, and 4.30pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Share a Letter from the Heart
Manchester Arndale will post the Pose with Pride event this weekend. Credit: Supplied
It’s not just about dancing and slathering yourself in glitter – Manchester Arndale’s Pose with Pride event will also host the Letters to My Younger Self community project and touring exhibition.
Here, LGBTQ+ people and allies are invited to write a letter to their younger self, where it’s words of encouragement, a heartfelt message of resilience, or simply something you wish you’d heard more growing up.
Every letter will become part of a powerful national exhibition celebrating lived experiences across the community.
The Letters to My Younger Self project was originally created by Perthshire Pride and is brought to Manchester in collaboration with Manchester Village Pride.
Find your people and support
As much as Pride is a celebration, it’s also a chance for the community to come together in support of one another.
A number of local organisations, including George House Trust, Sparkle, LGBT Foundation, The Proud Trust and AKT, will be on hand to offer information, support, or simply a friendly chat.
You can learn all about their work supporting LGBTQ+ communities across Greater Manchester and beyond.
Manchester Arndale’s Pose with Pride event will run from 12pm to 6pm on Saturday 22 August; and 11.30am to 5.30pm on Sunday 23 August – see more HERE.
You can ALREADY book tickets for Greater Manchester’s beloved Santa steam trains this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s beloved Santa steam train rides are back for more festive fun this Christmas, and tickets are already on sale… genuinely.
Sure, it’s literally the middle of August, and we’ve still got the rest of summer, and the small matter of a bank holiday weekend, Halloween, and Bonfire Night to get through first, but East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is already looking ahead to the most magical time of year.
The iconic heritage railway has announced that its hugely-popular ‘Santa Specials’ steam trains are back once again from late November.
The famous festive steam trains have become an essential part of Christmas for many families in the North West.
Santa Specials are your chance to hop on board an old-school steam train and travel through the magical Irwell Valley to make ‘enchanted memories’ that last a lifetime.
You can ALREADY book tickets for Greater Manchester’s beloved Santa steam trains this Christmas / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography (via ELR)
The truly special Christmas day out starts as you make your way through a winter wonderland at Bury Bolton Street Station, and first get to meet some old favourites and new characters – including the magical talking Christmas tree, Mrs Claus, and ELR’s very own Ice Princess – all before before having a singalong with a chorus of musical polar bears.
The festive fun then continues on the Santa Special steam trains themselves – with an 80-minute ‘enchanting voyage’ through the picturesque Greater Manchester countryside.
And, of course, you can expect a special visit from Santa while you’re on board.
After you’ve grabbed a selfie or two with the big man himself, the grown-ups can look forward to mince pies and festive tipples, while little Mancs can enjoy a soft drink, some chocolate, and take a festive-themed activity pack home with them.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd December 2021 
