A magical winter village experience is coming to Ramona and The Firehouse next month – promising to deliver on all the festive fun you missed out on last year, and then some.
Starting next month for the festive season, the whole of the Ramona site is going to be turned into a fantastical winter village: complete with a Christmas campfire, tequila cabins, and a bustling winter market.
That’s not all, either. In recent months, visitors to the super cool Detroit-inspired pizza and techno spot may have noticed a tipi being built at one end of the site behind the outside beer garden.
Ramona and The Firehouse is bringing its A-game this Christmas / Image: Ramona
Open now, throughout the festive season this will become a thriving dance tent – hosting a live stage with a mix of artists and bringing the party firmly outdoors as part of the upcoming winter festivities.
Elsewhere, there’ll be a Christmas campfire to keep you cosy on those chilly winter nights, as well as some steaming hot festive specials like mulled wine and hot chocolate – plus all the things Ramona is already known and loved for, like its margarita bar, Detroit pizza, wood-fired peri chicken and coffee hatch.
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Promising “Christmas, but good,” the winter village will open at Ramona on Thursday 4 November, with bookings going live from next Wednesday. 6 October at 10 am.
Saturday nights in the Tipi at Ramona are set to be a magical affair this winter / Image: Ramona The mushroom, balsamic onion, Gorgonzola, herb, Detroit sauce x hot honey pizza from Ramona / Image: Ramona
The full announcement, put out by the team via social media on Thursday, reads:
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“W I N T E R V I L L A G E *Bookings live Weds 6th Oct at 10am. Get ready for… Christmas Campfire. Dance Tent. Winter Market. Tequila Cabins. Runway. Winter Beer Garden. Margarita Bars. Pizza From Detroit. Peri Kitchen. Live Stage. Hot Chocolate. Mulled Wine. Coffee Hatch. It’s Christmas but good. November 4th to December 31st.
Ramona & The Firehouse. Together as one. Christmas 2021.”
Not content with winning Newcomer of the Year at Manchester Food and Drink awards, Ramona is already one-upping itself less than a week after taking home the gong.
To secure your table for the Winter Village, head over to the Ramona website from 10 am on Wednesday to reserve a slot.
What's On
Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Chester Zoo’s popular 10K charity run is returns with a new spring date / Credit: Chester Zoo
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
Run For Nature will take place on the new springtime date of Sunday 29 March 2026, and there’s 3,000 places to sign up for.
You can find out more and register on the Chester Zoo website here.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
What's On
Salford is celebrating 100 years of being its own city with FREE community events throughout 2026
Emily Sergeant
Salford is marking 100 years of city status this year, and to celebrate is launching a programme of free community events.
The city-wide celebrations – which are set to weave in the true character of the city and its communities – will launch on 21 April to coincide with the date Salford was officially granted city status in 1926, and they will run throughout the year culminating in a spectacular finale moment in the autumn.
Salford City Council has appointed renowned creative organisations Walk the Plank and From The Other as co-creative producers for the programme.
The partnership will explore the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future through a cultural programme spread across all eight neighbourhoods in Salford.
Salford gained city status 100 years ago — it’s time to celebrate 🙌
From a monumental living portrait of the city projected onto local buildings in Salford Everywhere, to Songs of Salford where emerging and established musical collaborators are brought together, and The Wagon Train, a pop-up festival shaped by each neighbourhood it visits, each event is set to amplify the city’s cultural community.
The programme is also hoping to help ensure the arts and world-class culture is accessible to all.
“We’re immensely proud of Salford’s thriving cultural sector and it’s fantastic that two of our most renowned cultural organisations will be delivering the Salford Centenary Cultural Programme,” commented Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett.
Salford is celebrating 100 years of being its own city with free community events / Credit: Chris Payne | Walk The Plank (Supplied)
“Both organisations bring a wealth of experience, creativity and unrivalled local knowledge to this project, and I’m extremely excited to experience the unique activities they will deliver as part of our centenary year.
“2026 promises to be a truly special year for the city, with this cultural programme at the heart of the celebrations.”
Georgina Pellant -
1st October 2021 
