With just over two weeks to go until Valentine’s Day arrives, we’ve pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact things will be a little different this year.
Whilst it’s true that we are somewhat used to adapting our seasonal celebrations for the circumstances nowadays, the loved-up among us won’t have forgotten that Valentine’s Day is new ground for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, given that it was one of the last events to take place ‘normally’ before the stark realities of the crisis set in last March.
That doesn’t mean the occasion should to go un-celebrated in 2021 though.
Yes, we can’t deny that it’ll be a little different this year, but there’s no need to miss out on feeling the love with your special someone, especially as there’s a whole host of ways to safely celebrate from the comfort of your own home.
Independent businesses all across the region are gearing up for Valentine’s Day by delivering date night experiences directly to your front door.
One Manchester-based immersive entertainment company is eager to put a unique and lockdown-friendly spin on the national day of love.
Starting on Friday 12th February and running for three nights, Park N Party – the team behind a series of sell-out drive-in cinema and theatre performances in Manchester – is adapting amid the third national lockdown by bringing the entertainment to you.
And they’ve aptly-named it the Lockdown Love-IN.
Lockdown Love-IN is an exclusive streaming platform, which sees singer and media personality Chrissy Bray provide a night of entertainment and music, accompanied by your choice of menu package, which has been expertly-crafted by top chefs, including options from the team behind Michelin star restaurant, Simpsons, prepared to simply reheat at home.
You can find out more and book your tickets for Lockdown Love-IN here.
Salford-based independent companies Si4ers Distillery and Seven Bro7hers Brewery are teaming up to bring the region’s lovers and best pals an exclusive live beer and gin tasting evening for one night only on Valentine’s Day this year.
The two-hour event will be hosted on Zoom and the wonderful tasting pack will be sent directly to your front door prior to the tasting taking place.
Each tasting pack includes:
3 x 440ml Seven Bro7hers beers (Salty Tiers Sour, Honeycomb Pale Ale, and Bubble House Brut IPA)
3 x 5cl SIS4ERS Gins (Signature, Strawberry and Lime and Thyme)
3 x Fever Tree Tonics
3 x bags of garnish for your gins
A box of Cocoa Cabana Ancoats truffles to share (vegan friendly and nut free)
You can grab your tickets from the Si4ers Distillery website here.
This Manchester-based doughnut company is committed to bringing delicately-decorated sweet treats directly to your front door all year round, and Valentine’s Day is no different.
The Doughnut Kitchen’s Valentine’s Kits come in a themed box, complete with:
x4 Large Ring Doughnuts
White, Pink and Milk Chocolate
Pink / Red Heart Sprinkles
Pink Shimmer Sprinkles
Mini Jammie Dodgers
Valentine’s Toppers
Prices for the kits start from £12.
If you don’t fancy getting stuck into the decorating yourself though, don’t worry, you can simply order one of the showstopping pre-made Valentine’s boxes to be delivered instead.
All orders can be made via The Doughnut Kitchen on Facebook or Instagram.
Cheese & Wine Tasting
Decent Drop
Decent Drop
Decent Drop’s Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes are perfect for the sceptics and hopeless romantic.
Along with the usual six wines and six cheeses that the Manchester-based, lockdown-born delivery company is known and loved right across the community for, the special Valentine’s Day kit will include a bottle of fizz and a miniature bottle of BRAND pink gin. Decent Drop has also teamed up with artisan chocolatiers, Cocoa Tree Café, to include a box of six bespoke chocolates that are sure to bring you “mouthwatering joy”, along with some fancy oat cakes and delicious chutney to complete each set, as well as the usual tasting notes.
Two person kits are £100, with one person kits setting you back just £75, and you will also receive an invitation for the interactive Zoom event too, which will be held on Saturday 13th February 2021.
Not quite found something that takes your fancy just yet?
Don’t worry.
There’s still plenty of time before the big day arrives, and we will continue to update this article with all of the lockdown-friendly, COVID-safe Valentine’s events that we can find happening across Greater Manchester this year, so keep checking back to make sure you don’t miss out.
What's On
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 opening date announced – including Albert Square return
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Christmas Markets are merely months away, and the opening date and important details for 2025’s return have been announced.
It’s official… holidays are coming, and the countdown is on.
Just as we do every year, the Greater Manchester public has been eagerly awaiting news of when the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be making a comeback for the 2025 festive season.
But now, Manchester City Council has announced that the famous wooden huts will be lining Manchester‘s streets once again from the first week in November, and for the first time in six years, Markets will also be returning to Albert Square.
The Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
Now in their 27th year, Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for bring thousands of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.
While restoration work has been carried out on the city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall building, markets have been spread all across the city centre in recent years, instead of the central hub being in Albert Square – but this year, some of the festivities will return to where they belong.
More than 200 stalls will also be spread across nine other sites throughout the city centre.
Markets will take over 10 major locations across the city centre / Credit: Manchester City Council
Promising to be plenty on offer for seasonal shoppers of all ages, 2025 will see the iconic wooden ski chalet market stalls take over King Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, and Cathedral Gardens, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens as usual.
Dominating a twinkling seasonal skyline on Albert Square will be an enormous 50-metre-high ferris wheel, as well as an enchanting vintage carousel for children, and other Christmas fairground-style attractions.
The new ‘A Taste of Christmas’ event will be open on Albert Square until Sunday 4 January 2026, bringing the space back into the heart of the city’s countdown to Christmas festivities and staying open throughout the festive season for families to enjoy into the new year.
Councillors are going all out to make Manchester the world’s number one Christmas city / Credit: Manchester City Council
“We’re going all out this year to make sure that Manchester is the number one city for Christmas – not just in the UK, but in the world,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council.
Cllr Karney also teased that there are a few other ‘Santa surprises’ to come that we can expect to be announced in the coming weeks.
He concluded: “In the meantime, dust off your baubles, un-twirl your tinsel, and get ready – Albert’s back.”
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 will officially open across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December.
That is except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square, and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens – which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.
Featured Image – Flickr
What's On
Spooky steam trains will be back travelling through Greater Manchester this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Spooky season will soon be on its way, and one of Greater Manchester’s most-popular Halloween events is returning.
Generally selling out each year, the heritage railway’s Halloween Ghost Trains always prove to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for ‘loads of spooktacular fun’ once the scariest time of year rolls around, and 2025 is expected to be no different – especially as there’s set to be ‘fresh twists and new surprises’ to celebrate ‘Year of the Bat’ this year.
Those brave enough at lending the Monster Squad a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll be greeted by legendary monster hunter, Dr Hurtz Von Driver, who’ll first share tales of his terrifying adventures before deciding if you have the right stuff to join the Monster Squad.
If you make it, you’ll then get to join Count Brian the Vampire, his trusted henchman Bogeye, and the rest of the team on a chilling adventure.
In this year’s event, the railway will be transformed with elaborate decorations and eerie lighting, and visitors are encouraged to ensure that ‘no ghouls fly under the radar’.
Spooky steam train rides through Greater Manchester are returning this Halloween / Credit: ELR
If you’ve got the guts for the ride of a lifetime, then you’ll first start with a haunted house walkthrough, all before you hop on a 60-minute spooky steam train ride through the Irwell Vale and back.
As you take in the autumn sights and delights of the local countryside out the historic steam train’s windows, there’ll be lots of spooky entertainment and music along the way, and, as it always is each year, screaming and singalongs are to be expected too – and encouraged – as this is all part of the experience.
Families are also encouraged to ‘show off your spookiest fancy dress’ on the day, and if you make it to the end, then a goody bag for every child ‘full of tricks and treats’ awaits.
The Halloween Ghost Trains are happening over an extended weekend in late October to early November, running from Thursday 30 October to Saturday 1 November – and tickets are now on sale starting from just £14 per person.
Emily Sergeant -
27th January 2021 
