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Manchester’s famous Santa steam trains are back and ‘local heroes’ can ride them for FREE

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 7th December 2022

East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is inviting five local heroes to catch a ride on one of its famous Santa Special steam trains this Christmas.

And all you have to do is nominate someone you think deserves it.

As the heritage railway is keen to celebrate those who have made a difference within the local Greater Manchester community, or those who have impacted peoples’ lives for the better, five ‘local heroes’ are going to get the chance to take a ride on one of the famous Santa Specials steam trains for free of charge this December.

The much-loved festive event has not only become an essential part of Christmas for many in the north west, but this year, it’s bigger and better than ever before.

East Lancashire Railway’s famous Santa Special steam train rides are back / Credit: Darren Robinson (via ELR)

The five local heroes will get to bring their families along with them for a truly special Christmas day out as they make their way through a winter wonderland at Bury Bolton Street Station.

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They’ll first get to meet some old favourites and new characters, including the magical talking Christmas tree, Mrs Claus, and ELR’s very own Ice Princess, all before before having a singalong with a chorus of musical polar bears. 

The festive fun will then continue on the Santa Special steam trains on an 80-minute “enchanting voyage” through the magical Irwell Valley.

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You can nominate a ‘local hero’ to ride them for free / Credit: Darren Robinson (via ELR)

Santa himself will be on board handing out gifts, while a festive brass band plays traditional Christmas tunes for a singalong, and adults tuck into a mince pie and a festive tipple or two.

Kids can feast on chocolate, juice, and get stuck into a brand-new ELR festive activity pack.

“It’s more important than ever to celebrate our local heroes who give back to the community and make a positive impact on people’s lives and we are thrilled to be able to give back to these people,” explained Mike Kelly – Chairman at ELR.

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“The Santa Specials have become a staple in many families’ Christmas celebrations.

“If there’s someone in your life or your local community that has made a positive impact over the past year, whether it’s through the work that they do, the time they volunteer or any acts of kindness you think a light should be shone on then head over to our website and tell us why you think they deserve a magical day out with their families at the railway this Christmas.”

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Keen to nominate a ‘local hero’ for this special Christmas experience? Make sure you can your entries in before they close on Monday 12 December.

You can enter on the ELR website here.

Featured Image – Darren Robinson (via ELR)

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Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show

Danny Jones Danny Jones James Manchester Co-op Live gig tickets

Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.

Daisy bucket hats at the ready.

James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so

Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.

Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.

In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.

Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.

The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.

As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.

You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.

James UK arena tour dates 2026

  • Fri 2                   Birmingham Utilita Arena
  • Sat 4                  Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
  • Tues 7               Aberdeen P&J Live
  • Wed 8                Glasgow OVO Hydro
  • Fri 10                  Newcastle Utilita Arena
  • Sat 11                Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
  • Mon 13              Cardiff Utilita Arena
  • Tues 14            Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
  • Fri 17                  London The O2
  • Sat 18               Manchester Co-op Live

With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.

General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.

You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)

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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017

Danny Jones Danny Jones Kraftwerk O2 Apollo Manchester tickets

Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.

Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.

Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.

Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.

For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.

Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.

It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.

While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.

Credit: Press shot (supplied)

You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:

Kraftwerk UK/IE tour dates 2026

May

  • 17 – Dublin, Bord Gais Energy Theatre
  • 18 – Belfast, Waterfront Hall
  • 21 – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
  • 22 – Manchester, O2 Apollo
  • 25 – Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
  • 27 – Stockton, Globe
  • 29 – Sheffield, City Hall
  • 30 – Brighton, Centre

June

  • 1 – Bristol, Beacon
  • 2 – Bournemouth, International Centre
  • 4 – London, Royal Albert Hall
  • 5 – London, Royal Albert Hall
  • 7 – Liverpool, Empire Theatre
  • 8 – Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
  • 9 – Edinburgh, Playhouse

Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.

Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.

In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.

Get ready to grab yours HERE.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra announce Manchester gig among just a handful of UK dates on European tour
This isn’t the only big alternative/electronic gig we’re looking forward to either…

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)

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