Chester Zoo’s Christmas trail is back for 2023 and this year the return of the festive light show and long-running seasonal experience promises to be truly bigger and better than ever, with groundbreaking new displays, light shows, immersive soundscapes and much more.
‘Lanterns and Light‘, or previous incarnations of the annual Christmas event, has been running at Chester Zoo for over a decade now, with the family-friendly entertainment delivering a bigger and more enchanting spectacle year in, year out.
So, given the success of last year’s celebrations, the legendary local zoo had quite the job on their hands topping themselves, but with talk of not only a huge light show with more colourful illuminated animal lanterns than ever but plenty of exciting new additions, we think they just might have done it.
The beloved wintertime event will see visitors embark on the incredible light trail around the 128-acre premises this November right up until the end of the year and it really is promising to be the most special year to date.
Credit: Chester Zoo
As alluded to above, in addition to hundreds of colourful illuminated animal lanterns, guests will also be greeted by a whole host of costumed characters including the main man himself: Father Christmas, jolly old Saint Nick, Santa — whatever merry moniker floats your boat.
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Other sparkly new features include an ultraviolet walkway with luminous animal faces and colour-changing rainforests; illuminated dolphins that appear to leap from moats and waterways, a huge fire garden, as well as a variety of fairground rides and Christmas market stalls.
However, undoubtedly the best of this year’s offerings are the brand-new soundscapes designed in collaboration with Sony Music as part of the groundbreaking festive installations, which include a giant, four-metre-tall, interactive 3D woolly mammoth hologram. Yes, seriously.
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The incredible lights and effects will be taking centre stage at the zoo on multiple occasions each day and is a world-first that will light up the Cheshire sky like never before.
This dazzling display has previously received widespread public acclaim over the years, especially since the funds raised from ticket sales support the zoo’s conservation missions and work to help nature survive and thrive around the world.
Tickets for Lanterns and Light are on sale now with the festive experience scheduled to run across 33 special evenings from Friday, 17 November all the way up until New Year’s Eve (Sunday, 31 December) and entry slots from 4pm–8pm every evening.
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And, most importantly of all, as Chester Zoo remains a vital non-profit in the North West and in the global wildlife community, all the money raised through the event goes right back into their crucial charity work.
You can find out more information and book your tickets HERE.
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
One of the most iconic literary and film sagas of the 21st century is celebrating 20 years since the first book was published next year.
And to celebrate this milestone moment, you’ll be able to watch the first film live in dozens of cities across the UK surrounded by the beauty of more than a thousand candles while a live orchestra plays the soundtrack to accompany.
That’s right, Twilight in Concert is coming to Manchester.
Undeniably one of the most successful young adult film franchises of all time, with five films (Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 & 2) to its name, The Twilight Saga has impressively grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office.
You can watch Twilight with a live orchestra surrounded by candlelight in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
The films were adapted from author Stephenie Meyer’s acclaimed literary series that won multiple awards over its time, sold more than 160 million copies worldwide, and was translated into 49 different languages.
But no matter whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob, Twilight In Concert promises to be an unforgettable event for fans of the belovedfranchise, two decades on.
Set in an enchanting candlelit setting, TwilightIn Concert offers fans a unique opportunity to re-live the film that started it all, while musicians take the stage to perform the beloved score in perfect synchronisation with the original movie presented in its entirety on a cinema-size screen.
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians / Credit: Supplied
You can expect a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians to transport you on a journey deep into the heart of Forks.
Twilight in Concert will be stopping off at 12 other major UK cities on its tour, including other northern hubs such as Sheffield, York, and Liverpool, as well as arriving at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 February 2026.
Tickets are now on sale, and you can find out more and get your hands on them here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
A brand new grunge and hard rock festival is kicking off in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester grungers, hardcore heads, and fans of all things rock, pay attention because there is a brand new festival coming to the city centre – and it has possibly the best name for a live music event we’ve heard in some time.
Ahem… let us introduce you to Broken Knees Fest.
Yes, donning a name that feels increasingly more relatable the closer we get to the wrong side of 30, Broken Knees Festival 2025 marks the inaugural edition of Manchester’s newest series of rock and grunge gigs, helping spotlight rising artists across the genres from within two crucial grassroots venues.
Very loud music inside tightly-packed, small-capacity rooms? It’s a winning formula that never fails. It’s about time we broke a sweat – here’s hoping the knees just about hold out.
Hosted in the heart of the Northern Quarter, which continues to thrive as a creative hub for new music and art of all forms, the festival will be debuting at small-cap favourites Gullivers and Castle Hotel just across the road.
As you can see, the lineup is full of up-and-coming talent within the guitar-driven space, but you can bank on more than a few bringing their die-hard fans to fill the place out to the rafters.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer punk, hardcore, grunge or another specific sub-genre found somewhere in between the ever-sprawling rock spectrum, there’s something to suit all alternative tastes at this one.
With the likes of Bohmen, Mavis, One Dimensional Creatures and Smother headlining the first-ever iteration of the festival across four stages, you can expect plenty of energy and even more noise.
Set up by the events group of the same name, Broken Knees Promotions, who help platform rock and alt acts across Greater Manchester and beyond year-round, this is more than just a festival: it’s a grassroots celebration through and through.
Best of all, if you’re interested, you don’t have to wait long because it’s kicking off next month.
Gigs go off in here. If you know, you know… (Credit: Audio North)
Broken Knees Fest 2025 is happening on the weekend of 21-22 June, and you’ll be glad to hear that, as a brand new event, prices have been kept nice and low.
The early bird window had prices starting from just £12, and although this tier has now sold out, day tickets are still only £15 while a full weekend pass will set you back £25.
Until then, why not dive into another load of new Manchester music? We round up artists from all genres each month; we’ll also confess to leaning slightly more towards the heavier stuff from time to time.
Danny Jones -
31st October 2023 
