A brand-new intimate and immersive dining experience is coming to Manchester this year as Lightopia takes over Heaton Park once again.
The award-winning light and lantern festival will return to the city’s largest park for the third successive year on 18 November, but this time round, accompanying the enchanting light installations on the illuminated trail is a brand-new dining experience – Dine in the Light.
Nestled in the park’s woodland and surrounded by lanterns, Lightopia’s illuminated ‘Dining Domes’ make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience for families, friends and couples.
The 10 dining domes will serve up an imaginative three-course menu of classic seasonal dishes, all with a whimsical touch and curated by the three-rosette chef former head chef of Alderley Edge Hotel in Cheshire, Chris Holland – who is best known for his traditional British cuisine with a scientific edge.
Chris likes to get experimental with his recipes, so you should expect the unexpected – think smoke, sparklers, and so much more.
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Lightopia’s illuminated ‘Dining Domes’ make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience / Credit: Lightopia
Some of the winter-warming starters on the menu include roasted pumpkin soup, Swiss cheese and Riesling fondue served with torn ciabatta for dipping, and vegan Buffalo cauliflower wings, while main courses feature everything from a wide range of hanging kebabs, to slow-cooked chicken dishes and sticky glazed short rib of beef.
For those with a sweet tooth, some of the dessert highlights have to be these two Manc inspired treats – the Manchester Trifle with layers of Vimto jelly, vanilla sponge, and mulled blackberries, or a Heaton Mess Meringue loaded with fresh cream, baked peaches, and raspberries.
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The drinks menu include mulled wine, a selection of festival cocktails, wine, craft ales, and lager.
The 10 dining domes will serve up an imaginative three-course menu of classic seasonal dishes / Credit: Lightopia
You can drink, dine, and be merry in your very own private dining dome – which sits up to six or 12 for up to 90 minutes – before or after heading off to discover the enchanting Lightopia light trail in all its glory.
A children’s menu is also on hand, and it’s served with a sprinkling of magic too.
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The Dine in the Dark three-course menu and a drink comes to £38 per person, and all dome dining experiences must be pre-booked, with three dining time slots to choose from – 5pm, 6:30pm, or 8pm.
Also new for Lightopia Manchester 2021, The Stables Courtyard Bar and Dining will offer a more casual dining experience with different food and drink venders taking over converted vintage horseboxes to serve up everything from tasty, gourmet soft shell tacos, to delicious stone-baked pizzas, and festive beverages and theatrical cocktails, all served under a heated canopy in the courtyard.
Walk-in on the evening or to guarantee your spot reserve a seat, and it’s £5 per person – which is fully-redeemable against food and drink on the night.
Bookings for the Dine in the Light experience are now available here.
You can drink, dine, and be merry in your very own private dining dome for up to 90 minutes / Credit: Lightopia
Lightopia will be open to the public from Thursday 18 November – Monday 3 January. The event is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except during school holidays, and it will also close on Christmas Day.
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Opening times are between 5pm to 10pm, and last entry is 8:30pm daily.
Advance tickets are priced at £20 for adults (or £22 on the day), £13 for children (or £15 on the day), and £60 for families of two adults and two children (£68 on the day). Children under three can go free.
Essential carers of disabled visitors can attend for free, the disabled visitor pays the normal admission fee.
Disney On Ice is returning to Manchester this winter on latest UK arena tour
Danny Jones
Whether you’re looking for something to give your children a thrill, or you’re a fully fledged ‘Disney adult’ yourself, you’ll be glad to hear that the smash-hit Disney On Ice show is coming back to Manchester city centre later this year.
Returning globally for its 45th anniversary and celebrating over three and a half decades here in the UK, Disney On Ice is set for its 16th edition here in Manchester this winter.
Bringing iconic characters, storylines and scenes to life with incredible choreographed ice-skating routines, as well as all-singing-all-dancing musical numbers, you won’t find many more spectacular family-friendly live shows than this one.
Well and truly a staple of the annual entertainment calendar around the globe, these performances attract millions every year, and now thousands more will get to watch the latest version at the AO Arena.
As written on the social media post confirming the next batch of dates, the venue wrote: “Follow the quest for Tinker Bell through the dazzling worlds of Coco, Moana, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast.
“Experience thrilling skating and memorable moments from Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Little Mermaid. Watch Stitch crash the action with mischievous surprises. It’s non-stop fun for the whole family!”
Dubbed ‘Discover The Magic’, this upcoming iteration of the Disney format is said to be all about “celebrating love and bravery”; expect more than 170 dazzling costumes made by over 100 artisans using thousands of yards of fabric, adorned with hundreds of thousands of hand-set Swarovski crystals.
One of the most impressive parts about these performers – besides their obvious gifts for music and movement – is how quickly they change outfits, transforming in under 30 seconds before stepping back out onto the impressively designed stage, which is estimated to weigh in excess of 12,000 pounds.
You can take a glance at the scenes from their most recent spring tour of a similar name down below.
Such an impressive display all-round.
You can find the full list of UK shows here – we’ve highlighted all the Northern ones for you:
Disney On Ice UK tour dates – winter 2026/27
Birmingham bp pulse LIVE: Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026
Newcastle Utilita Arena: Nov 11 – Nov 15, 2026
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena: Nov 19 – Nov 22, 2026
Aberdeen P&J Live: Nov 26 – Nov 29, 2026
Belfast SSE: Dec 3 – Dec 6, 2026
Sheffield Utilita Arena: Dec 9 – Dec 13, 2026
Manchester AO Arena: Dec 16 – Dec 20, 2026
London The O2: Dec 24 – Jan 3, 2027
With the likes of other big Disney Concerts and the Entertainment group productions coming to Manchester over the next year or so, including the recently announced Worlds Collide UK crossover tour, there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in all kinds of classic movie magic.
The pre-sale opens from 10am this Friday, 12 June, which you can prepare for now; as for general admission, tickets will be available from the same time on the last Friday of the month (26 June).
All-new VIP magical passes have also been added for the very first time this year, meaning guests of all ages can enjoy all the glitz and glamour possible.
Whatever package you and/or the kids fancy, you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
For anyone interested in seeing other animated and digital favourites brought to life in the flesh right here in the city centre, this one might interest you, too…
Calling all self-declared otakus, cinephiles and gamers – this one looks right up your street. 🎼
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AO Arena)
What's On
The ITV hype video for the 2026 World Cup has just done that – let’s make some memories
Danny Jones
We’ll admit, much like with Qatar ’22, there have been a few things about this upcoming World Cup that have made it harder to get in the mood than usual, but we must confess: ITV’s new opening titles for the 2026 edition have got us well and truly HYPED.
It’s funny what a quick little montage and some feel-good music can do.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of things about modern football we don’t like, and there are always going to be criticisms of FIFA and how they handle major tournaments, especially when it comes to the biggest international fixtures of them all.
Sadly, a lot of this is out of our control, but what we can do is our bit as supporters and get behind the boys; with trailers like this, it’s hard not to get yourself up for it…
How well you remember the customary title sequences for each tournament is usually a good barometer.
We have a feeling that this one is going to stick out in the memories of not just the kids enjoying maybe some of their first real major tournaments, but plenty of us adults, too.
The reaction online has been largely positive too, with popular football social media account, The 44, writing: “Oh my god! ITV have smashed it. Better or just as good as 2014”.
Another went on to say, “[It’s] mental how this one minute and nineteen second video has just made me incredibly excited for the World Cup. ITV know how to do an intro, don’t they?”
Furthermore, a third added: “Great intro. And FIFA might’ve messed everything up with 48 teams instead of 32 and blown it on ticket prices, but once the World Cup kicks off, there’s nothing like it.
With fewer fans being able to travel or even begin to remotely afford flying out for just one game, let alone the whole month, it’s great to see Manchester setting up big screens like these.
All that being said, there has, of course, still been lots of backlash over how hosting the World Cup in North America has been handled in general thus far.
Be it the plight of scammers, exorbitant ticket prices, punters and even referees being denied entry to the country due to President Trump’s travel sanctions, or the general political state over in the US, it’s far from a perfect year for ‘the beautiful game’ and its biggest competition.
However, it’s worth reminding that nations like Mexico have as strong an obsession with football as anyone on the planet, and Canada is clearly relishing the opportunity to host matches in Toronto and Vancouver, where footy is still their largest sport overall.
We expect there will still be plenty of protests and demonstrations, not to mention fairly public messages and statements up around the stadiums in the cities involved, no doubt, but one thing we can make sure of is that England will back the Three Lions both up in the stands and back here at home.
Those clips seen in the ITV video serve as yet another undeniable reminder that there is simply nothing like cheering on your country on the big stage, so make sure you lock down where to watch the World Cup in Manchester soon, and don’t miss a second of the action. It’s coming home.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd October 2021 
