Dozens of dinosaurs have descended on a corner of the Peak District this weekend, ready for the Jurassic Encounter event.
Life-size animatronic beasts will roar and shriek at visitors from the trees, towering way above onlookers.
Ticket-holders will get up close with two giant T-Rexes, as well as a 15m-tall Brachiosaurus guarding her clutch of eggs.
Dinosaurs at Jurassic Encounter. Credit: Supplied
You’ll also be able to spot Velociraptors, Stegosaurus and Pterodactyls roaming the parkland.
The Jurassic Encounter is taking over the Pavillion Garden in Buxton, not far from Greater Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s bringing its herd of lifelike dinos on a tour that also includes dates in parks in London, Glasgow and Cardiff.
Jurassic Encounter. Credit: Supplied
The animatronic installations will feature information panels of interesting facts about each dinosaur, with mini documentaries also screening in the Education Cinema Marquee to bring the Jurassic age to life.
ADVERTISEMENT
Little ones will be able to dig through an excavation sand pit for skeletons and fossils, learning about how archaeologists discovered dinosaurs in the past.
There’ll be food and refreshments all along the route.
Naz Kabir, spokesperson for Jurassic Encounter, says: “Last year, thousands of visitors all over the UK enjoyed a day out with our prehistoric beasts, and we’re delighted to return for another tour in 2022.
“This year we’ll have new dinosaurs, even more interactive exhibits including a VR experience and an education cinema where families will be able to learn more about these incredible creatures.”
Jurassic Encounter will be at The Pavilion Garden in Buxton between 28 May and 12 June.
Festive food village announced at magical Manchester light trail
Lydia Mastrolonardo
There’s just one month to go until Manchester’s most spectacular festive light trail returns – and they’ve just announced details of the Christmas Village and six new food traders.
Heaton Park will soon light up forNorthern Lights Manchester, and the list of foodies making up this year’s Christmas Village has just been revealed.
With everything from chargrilled souvlaki to handmade pies and hot fruit crumble on the menu, there’s bound to be something for everyone.
Brand new for 2026 is Chicken Hut, serving up the crispiest chicken tenders you’ve ever had, plus Greek Traditional Souvlaki bringing all of those delicious mediterranean flavours, The Lids & Co supplying mouthwatering customisable pies, and The Otley Burger Company, which was recently crowned the UK’s best food truck.
The above savoury offerings will be joined by the returning well-known and loved, The Sausage Factory, serving festive bratwurst, currywurst, and proper local Bury Black Pudding sausage.
If you’re after a sweet treat, they have enlisted Crumble & Custard to supply a range of warming fruit crumbles with creamy custard, while Crepes & Coffee will be providing all of the desserts you could desire, along with gorgeous hot chocolates providing the final nail in the food coma coffin.
If after all that you need a sit down, a pint or a mulled wine, the Bees Knees Tavern is the place to go.
Emma St. Croix, Senior Marketing Manager at From The Fields, said: “There’s something very festive about finishing a trip through Christmases past with a hot crumble and custard.
The linup for Northern Lights’ festive food village has been announcedThe Bees Knees pub will returnYou can warm up here after your walk around the Heaton Park light trail
“Food is a big part of the night out at Northern Lights, and we’re excited to welcome six new traders plus The Sausage Factory and the Bees Knees Tavern from last year.With the Ferris wheel in the Christmas Village and a whole new trail across Heaton Park, there’s plenty to explore this year. We’re just over a month from opening and can’t wait to see everyone back.”
As for the trail itself – Heaton Park is to be transformed into a toy box of memories, with 15 brand-new installations, inspired by the toys and traditions that would have topped Christmas wish lists in the past.
Whether you fancy a trip down memory lane or you just fancy a wintery trip out, one thing is for certain, this is one Christmas experience you don’t want to miss out on.
First, visitors will have the opportunity to wander along the colourful path, as part of the Walkway of Wonder, where bright stained-glass panels glow like windows in an old fairytale. Then back to the sixties you go, down Lava Lamp Lane, where glowing blobs of colour mesmerisingly float across the ground and into the trees – which may even be enough to inspire you to dig out that old lava lamp you once had collecting dust on your shelf.
If you once considered yourself a pro at Scalextric, the Retro Racers installation may bring back some memories, where visitors will be able to send lights shooting around a giant racetrack.
Northern Lights Manchester will return next monthNorthern Lights Manchester is taking over Heaton Park
By this point you may need a bit of warming up – head on past the giant nutcrackers and get cosy by the fire pits beneath the festoon lights, for some marshmallow toasting.
Don’t be alarmed if you see giant candy canes marching along Candy Cane Crossing, like Manchester’s biggest peppermint dream, before you reach O Christmas Tree which would make the perfect spot for a photo.
I’m sure we all remember THE Christmas catalogue – the one many of us spent hours flicking thorough and circling our desired gifts? Well, this year pupils from a local primary school have filled its pages with their own fantastic drawings of classic toys.
Finally, you will find that the Lakehouse winds itself into cuckoo-clock as the trail comes to a close.
It is important to note the route is fully accessible, with dedicated neuro-inclusive evenings when visitor numbers are reduced by 75% and audio levels are lowered throughout.
Event information
Dates: 19 November – 31 December 2026
Location: Heaton Park, Manchester
Opening times:
4:30pm – 8:15pm (19–26 November)
4:15pm – 8:15pm (27 November – 31 December)
Northern Lights Manchester tickets
Unsurprisingly, tickets are selling quickly, with over 100,000 of you expected to attend this year – don’t hang about.
Under 2s go free
Child tickets (3-16 years) from £13.50
Adult tickets from £19.50
Family tickets from £60
Click HERE to book your tickets. Use the code LIGHTS20 for 20% off until 31 October 2026
Top Manchester attraction Museum of Illusions has been transformed by spooky Halloween surprises
Daisy Jackson
A spooky new Halloween experience has arrived at Manchester’s Museum of Illusions, and it’s perfect for half term.
The top attraction is getting a spooky makeover, with strange surprises, mind-bending tricks and plenty of photo opportunities taking over this October.
Running until Sunday 1 November, Weird Wonders is transforming some of the museum’s best-loved exhibits into a Halloween-inspired experience, making it a fun option for families, friends and anyone looking to get into the spooky spirit.
And with the whole experience taking place indoors on Market Street, it’s a dream option for those unpredictable Manchester autumn days when the weather has other plans, and a perfect spot to fill a day of the half term holidays..
Five of the attraction’s most popular exhibits are getting a Halloween transformation, giving visitors even more reasons to question what they’re seeing, strike a pose and get some seriously strange photos along the way.
Among the spooky highlights is the Bone Throne, where visitors can take their seat on a suitably eerie chair that warps your perspective, while the Spider Clone Table promises a creepy twist on one of the museum’s classic illusions.
There’s also the Web of Faces, where a giant kaleidoscope multiplies your face (now with added cobwebs), alongside the Echo Cave, offering another opportunity to step into a world where your senses can be deceived.
And the museum’s Hollow Faces experience features 3D-printed faces inspired by Einstein, Frankenstein and Count Dracula – bringing together science, classic horror and a little optical trickery.
Halloween at the Museum of Illusions. Credit: The Manc Group
There’s more to Weird Wonders than spooky photo opportunities, too.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween without a few treats. Every child ticket holder will receive a complimentary brain puzzle from the Illusion Shop, plus a sweet treat to take home at the end of their visit.
Adults haven’t been forgotten either, with a free treat available when purchasing two adult tickets.
Weird Wonders is running at the Museum of Illusions Manchester from 3 October to 1 November 2026.
Tickets and further information are available HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
27th May 2022 
