A ‘skate in the sky’ ice rink experience is coming to Manchester
Skaters can glide over the ice whilst looking down at live entertainment, ranging from an orchestra playing Christmas songs to screenings of festive film favourites
It appears that Manchester is to be blessed with not one but two Christmas ice skating rink experiences this festive season.
During the build-up to Christmas, revellers will be able to “float on ice in the sky” thanks to Escape To Freight Island, whichis bringing its own ‘skate in the sky’ ice rink experience to Manchester.
By hoisting an ice rink up onto the mezzanine floor at The Ticket Hall inside Depot Mayfield, the venue promises to give skaters “remarkable views” as they look down on all the entertainment taking part on its inside stage this festive season.
It will sit on a brand-new mezzanine floor made by concretene – a newly developed graphene-enhanced concrete created at the University of Manchester.
Skaters will be able to soak up Christmas entertainment from below – gliding across the ice to the sounds of Christmas covers from The Untold Orchestra, or to the soundtrack of some all-time festive Christmas movie favourites.
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The ice rink will be part of the venue’s winter village festivities, which will also see Escape To Freight Island welcome in festive traders, a Christmas tree forest, a hog roast grill, mulled wine and hot cider huts, and more.
Transformed into a winter wonderland from Friday, 5 November, the Winter Island experience will combine a traditional Christmas market with an immersive series of live events.
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The ‘skate in the sky’ ice rink, however, will not open to the public until Friday, 12 November.
The ice rink opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 4 pm until 11 pm, and Friday to Sunday from 10 am until 11 pm. Tickets are priced at £13 / £10 for adults (peak / off-peak times); £11 / £8 for children (peak / off-peak times); and £10 for students.
General sale is on Wednesday, 3 November at 9 am – but you can sign up now to get access to pre-sale bookings.
Cirque du Soleil Manchester – everything you need to know about the legendary group’s ‘OVO’ show
Danny Jones
The legendary performance group Cirque du Soleil return to Manchester this Wednesday for a five-night run leading into the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Set to stun crowds with their latest show simply entitled, OVO, the Canadian-based but world-renowned entertainment company will be hosting tens of thousands at the AO Arena from 27-31 March and having been to their previous dates here, we can certainly vouch for it being a truly spellbinding spectacle.
Unbelievably, it’s been half a decade since Cirque du Soleil rolled into Manchester with their incredible TORUK: First Flight show (based all around James Cameron’s Avatar universe), so audiences have an entirely new production to tend with this time around.
With that in mind, if you’re going along to any of the five shows at the AO Arena this month or are still debating grabbing a seat, here’s everything you need to know about Cirque du Soleil OVO in Manchester this March.
What is Cirque du Soleil OVO about?
Simply meaning ‘egg’ in Portuguese and straight from the press room, OVO promises to be “a headlong rush into a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement.”
Revolving around the key insect characters, their home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.
When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, they’re left awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. From then on, another quirky insect arrives in this community and a fabulous ladybug starts catching eyes – and we daren’t spoil anything more.
OVO is overflowing with high-colour contrasts as the hidden, secret world at the human race’s feet is revealed as tender and torrid; noisy and quiet, as well as peaceful and chaotic. It promises to be quite the whirlwind show and has received rave reviews since its inception.
If that all sounds good on paper but if you want a clearer glimpse at what that looks like on stage, you can see exactly what to expect down below:
Are there tickets left for Cirque du Soleil in Manchester?
Short answer: yes. Plenty, in fact — well, depending, on what night you’re hoping to go along for.
The cheapest tickets start from £53.50 and that’s sitting within the first tier of seats around the arena. However, if you do fancy going along and making a bit more of an occasion of things for a change, you can always treat yourself to a bit more of the pageantry with one of their VIP packages.
It’s not something we do very often but, we must admit, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed it whenever we have. Whatever tier you fancy, you can grab yours HERE.
Better still, you’ve now got the perfect place for food and drink beforehand with the brand-new Mezz restaurant and bar which really is the ideal pre-show venue.
What time does it start and how long does it last?
Doors to the event open from 6pm from Wednesday to Friday, as well as on 30 March, but the Saturday schedule also has a matinee showing from 2:30pm.
Sunday’s showing starts just after noon (12:30pm) and all of the performances are set to start around an hour later – i.e. 7:30pm for the evening shows – so you’ve got plenty of time to get your snacks in and nip to loo etc.
As always with the AO, the definitive curfew for shows is 11pm but even with the 100-minute run-time and 25-minute interval, you’ll be finished well before then.
How to get to the AO Arena and other travel info
The AO Arena is right in the heart of the city centre, so it’s fairly easy to get to.
On foot:
The AO Arena is located within the Manchester Victoria Station complex in the city centre, on the corner of Trinity Way, Hunts Bank and Great Ducie Street. You can enter through the station (up the stairs), through the Trinity Way Tunnel, or from Hunts Bank.
By tram: Also super straight-forward – hop off the tram at Manchester Victoria and you’re right by the stairs to the venue. It’s also a short walk from Exchange Square and Shudehill. Trams run directly to Victoria Station from Rochdale, Bury, Altrincham, East Didsbury and the Airport.
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By train: While Piccadilly is the city’s largest train station, plenty of trains do pass through Manchester Victoria. You can plan your journey through the National Rail website.
Parking: The postcode if you’re driving to the AO Arena is M3 1AR. There’s an on-site CitiPark car park with 958 spaces, which can be pre-booked here. Bear in mind that Trinity Way is closed after concerts to allow gig-goers to leave safely, though cars are allowed out of the car park with directions from staff.
Manchester Day is back with a massive FREE celebration of ‘all things Mancunian’ this summer
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is confirmed for a 2024 return this summer, and the city centre will be hosting a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian”.
This means we’re all set for a day packed full of FREE events and activities to get involved with.
Often dubbed “the day summer officially starts” in Manchester, and undoubtedly one of the most vibrant and colourful events in the city’s annual social calendar, Manchester City Council has now confirmed that the massively-popular Manchester Day will make a long-awaited return in a few months time.
And, following the resounding success of last year’s ‘promenade-style’ event that saw activities take place in a number of different locations, the one-day festival is set to take over the city centre once again this year.
Manchester Day is back with a massive FREE celebration of ‘all things Mancunian’ this summer / Credit: Manchester Day
Although not a great deal is known about the 2024 festival just yet, what we do know is that the date is officially set for Saturday 24 July.
Even more free activities and “all kinds of unexpected things” for all the family to see, do, and make the most of as the sun (hopefully) shines down on our glorious city this July have been promised by the Council.
The Council will has also said it’ll be working with its creative partners over the coming months on finalising the “jam-packed” events programme that will see the city’s streets and squares come to life, so you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for updates.
We are delighted to announce that our city’s biggest and best event, Manchester Day, will be returning on Saturday 27 July 🎉
Following last year's success, we can’t wait to show you what we’ve got planned this time round.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 21, 2024
“Manchester Day has been a highlight in the city’s events calendar for well over a decade now,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Chair of Manchester Day, as the beloved event was confirmed for its 2024 return this week.
“The feel-good buzz it creates across the city on the day is absolutely fantastic, and best of all, it’s free.
“We know how much everyone loves Manchester’s favourite day of the year, and can’t wait to spend it once again celebrating the best city in the world with the very best people in the world – and that’s everyone who calls Manchester their home.”