One of Manchester’s best-loved Christmas experiences has returned, and this year Bar Hutte has TWO locations.
The apres-ski-inspired huts have reappeared this week, back at Great Northern as well as a new site at Kampus.
Positively dripping in festive cheer, here you’ll find a twinkling winter wonderland full of fairy lights, fur throws, and plenty of warming tipples.
And arguably the best bit? Each one of the charming wooden huts is kitted out with its own karaoke machine.
Don’t worry if the thought of your own dulcet tones brings you out in a cold sweat – you can swerve the karaoke and listen to professional musicians performing in the courtyard instead.
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With its new location at Kampus, Bar Hutte has created a new alpine experience to explore to mark its seventh year in Manchester.
The row of eight Christmas cabins (including a special Bark Hutte for your furry friend) at the canalside neighbourhood surrounds a heated and sheltered courtyard.
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Then upstairs in the Bungalow – the neighbourhood’s landmark building on stilts – you’ll find an indoor drinking den with plenty of extra seating, and decor including faux fireplaces, sleds, bells and wreaths.
Drinks on offer include mulled wine, festive cocktails like the Merry Kissmas and the Bauble-ini, legendary ski shots and Bombardinos, a warm alcoholic drink popular on the slopes. There’s even boozy Biscoff hot chocolate and gingerbread Old Fashioneds.
As for food, Bar Hutte customers can order pizza from Nell’s via a QR code on their table, or tuck in to treats from Great North Pie Co and Beeswing.
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Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital&Centric (the developers, along with HBD, of Kampus), said: “Kampus and Bar Hütte is the perfect festive match. People are so used to seeing the lush Kampus garden full of life throughout the summer, so it’s brilliant to see it packed out with the wooden hüttes for winter.
“Whether belting out karaoke in private huts and ordering eats from Kampus’ finest, or soaking up the alpine vibes of our Aprés Ski Bungalow, the neighbourhood takeover will have something for everyone.’
Booking is advised, especially for the private Bar Hutte Kampus cabins, but walk-ins are welcome, particularly for festive drinks in the courtyard.
Across town at Great Northern Square is Bar Hutte’s second location, where once again its cosy Huttes are beneath a heated stretch tent, with entertainment including a schedule of love singers and DJs.
This site has a party lodge for up to 20 people, as well as family-friendly Santa Claus club sessions at the weekends.
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Events at both sites include wreath-making sessions, complete with a complimentary glass of prosecco or mulled wine.
Bar Hütte pop-up will wrap up on New Year’s Eve. You can make a booking now at www.barhutte.co.uk.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Christmas
‘Glittering winter adventure’ set to take over Tatton Park this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
The magnificent grounds of Tatton Park will be transformed into a ‘glittering winter adventure’ this festive season.
With spooky season now a thing of the past, and Christmas merely a few weeks away, families will soon be whisked away into a world of folklore, enchantment, and enthralling performances as they enter the gardens of the stunning Tatton Park in Cheshire for an immersive, festival-like experience known as Yuletide.
Organisers say the captivating event promises to be a “truly magical experience” where folklore stories come to life through storytelling and live music.
A ‘glittering winter adventure’ is set to take over Tatton Park this Christmas / Credit: Supplied
All set to transport visitors right into the heart of Yuletide tales, the exciting new event – which opens next weekend, and runs through until late December – is produced by Wild Rumpus, who you may know for other magical local events such as ‘The Lanterns’ at Chester Zoo (2018-2022) and Just So Festival.
The highlight of this new event has to be The Glittering Trail, where beautifully-illuminated puppets and performers bring legendary stories of Yuletide to life as visitors wander through the park’s popular Japanese Gardens and make the most of the stunning winter landscape.
Families can gather around an open fire to toast marshmallows, all while they watch live performances that add even more magic to the evening.
Yuletide will be running at Tatton Park on selected dates from Saturday 16 November through to Monday 23 December, and tickets are on sale now – with adult tickets costing £20, children paying just £12 each, and free personal assistant passes are also available.
Why Big Santa WON’T be in Manchester when the Christmas Markets open this week
Daisy Jackson
The sheds have taken over the city centre already, with the huge Christmas Markets officially opening on Friday 8 November.
A big character during the festive season in Manchester is, of course, our light-up Big Santa.
He’s taken on a few different forms over the years, from the huge inflatable character who used to scale the Manchester Town Hall to the piercing gaze of the city’s legendary ‘Zippy’.
The newest Big Santa is a large fella sitting on a big present, sporting a white handlebar moustache and holding a Manchester bee in his hand.
Over the years, this festive figure has been joined by several other glowing installations, like twinkling baubles you can walk through and huge stars.
And when the markets were held at Albert Square, they normally opened with Big Santa proudly already in position.
But this year the arrival of the Manchester Christmas Markets doesn’t mean the start of the festive light trail, or the return of Big Santa – so don’t go looking for him on Friday.
That’s because he won’t be installed on his perch at St Peter’s Square until after Remembrance Sunday, with a poignant service being held at the Cenotaph in the square next weekend.
Big Santa won’t be there when the Manchester Christmas Markets open on Friday. Credit: The Manc Group
Father Christmas will be installed at St Peter’s Square in the days after Remembrance Sunday.
Speaking of the Manchester Christmas Markets, councillor Pat Karney said: “Nowhere does Christmas quite like Manchester and with more than a quarter of a century of our world-famous legendary Christmas markets under our belts, we reckon we’ve got everyone’s Christmas wrapped.
“The number of people who’ve visited our markets over the years must be well over the fifty million mark by now and twenty-six years on from our first-ever Christmas Market in 1998 we regularly attract visitors from around the globe.
“We can’t wait to welcome everyone back again to Santa’s favourite city to enjoy the markets and share in all the festive fun. Grab some tinsel, find a friend or round up the family, and come and join us!”
The Manchester Christmas Markets open on Friday 8 November and close on Sunday 22 December, with Big Santa arriving in mid-November.