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Southport Pleasureland announces Day of the Dead and new ‘Christmas Winter Wonderland’ celebrations

The seaside theme park resort has announced exciting plans to run two of its "biggest and best yet" celebrations this year.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 28th October 2020
Southport Pleasureland

Southport Pleasureland has announced exciting plans to run its biggest and best Day of the Dead Spectacular yet this November, and launch its Winter Wonderland North in December too.

The South American-inspired Day of the Dead event is an increasingly popular high-octane after-dark annual “celebration of life” at the seaside resort – returning for its third year – and it will feature colourful samba drummers, fire spinners, fire-eaters, stilt-walkers, music with a live DJ, the park’s rides fully illuminated and running, and will close out with a dramatic fireworks finale. 

The park will be transformed into a “theatre of light and music” against a fabulous fiesta atmosphere.

Music on the night will be provided by Liverpool’s-own The Katumba Drum Band – who have performed at some of the world’s biggest events including Africa Oyé, Brazilica, Amsterdam Carnival and Recife Carnival, Brazil – and will bring a fierce fusion of UK big beat, Caribbean calypso, and the carnivals of North East Brazil to create an explosion of rhythmic revelry that you can’t help but dance to. 

The family-friendly ‘Day of the Dead’ celebration – which will see the park “festooned with bright and beautiful sugar skulls” – is set to take place on Saturday 14th November.

It will include outdoor food concessions and entertainments – with proven COVID-19 safety measures in place – and to ensure effective social distancing measures are upheld, this year’s event will feature acts on a purpose-built stage with a one-way system for visitors to enter and leave the show area. 

Gates to the park will open at 5pm.

Tickets for non-riders are £9.99 – include all the entertainments and fireworks – and then the ‘rider’ ticket price of £24.50, which includes unlimited rides.

Southport Pleasureland
Southport Pleasureland

But, that’s not all Pleasureland has in store for 2020.

Norman Wallis – CEO at Southport Pleasureland – said: “Day of the Dead has become a real hit, but we didn’t want to leave it at that, so we are staging Winter Wonderland North.”

He continued: “We have been considering and planning a Winter Wonderland North event for some time. We have been open with full coronavirus safety measures in place for many months [and] we know what we’re doing, what works, and how to make sure people understand the part they have to play in keeping everyone safe.  

“Those who’ve visited the park will know that we take great care over the grounds and landscaping [and] we’ve planted many Christmas trees which, along with our exiting established trees, will be decorated with beautiful Christmas lights.”

Winter Wonderland North is due to start on Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th November.

“All of the rides and buildings will be shimmering as the park pulls on its ‘Winter Wow’ from the first weekend… and [will] then be open every weekend in December until it opens daily (with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) until 3rd January 2021.” said Norman.

He continued: “Father Christmas – and the park is hoping to coax his reindeer to join him – will be in his COVID-safe grotto residence, a new indoor ride around Santa’s workshop is under construction, and a German-style Christmas Market offers Christmas treats and festive food and drink

“So there will be plenty to see and do.”

___

All tickets to the celebrations must be booked online in advance of your visit.

You can book yours, find more information about the events, and familiarise yourself with all social distancing / COVID-safe precautions via the Southport Pleasureland website here.

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A huge ‘Museum of the Moon’ art installation is set to land just outside of Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Museum of the Moon installation Macclesfield

Are you a space fanatic? Know a little one that’s obsessed with being an astronaut? Or are you just a fan of art exhibitions? Well, either way, you might want to take a trip to see the ‘Museum of the Moon’ this summer.

Taking place in Cheshire, the magical Museum of the Moon experience returns to Macclesfield this September, and it really does need to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.

For anyone completely unaware of the now recurring event, this up-close and personal look at the much-loved lunar installation in the Glasshouse in Alderley Park revolves around a massive, floating moon.

You can finally confirm it, in fact, isn’t made of cheese. Wallace and Gromit will be gutted…

The Glasshouse Alderley Park
Luke Jerram artist
Credit: Press Images (supplied)

On a more serious but still hugely exciting note, the Museum of the Moon forms part of this year’s SciTech Extravaganza, delivered by property Bruntwood every year, and this instant exhib-hit was always bound to make a comeback.

Created by Bristol-born artist Luke Jerram, this giant sphere is a towering six-metre replica of our Earth’s moon and commands quite the presence in the 150,000 sq ft innovation hub.

The Glasshouse itself is situated within the surrounding and truly stunning 400-acre parkland, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, located less than an hour’s drive from Manchester city centre.

SciTech Extravaganza 2025 marks just the second edition of the annual event, with promises of family-friendly fun, with plenty of affordable and completely free activities – including the Museum of the Moon itself, all the way up until 19 September.

scitech extravaganza events
bruntwood scitech events
Credit: Supplied

The day will see the artwork featured alongside a whole host of activities and entertainment, including three ‘Super Cells’ shows by the Royal Institute of Science, designed for three different age ranges: 4–7, 7–11, and 11–14.

In addition, there will also be a ‘balloon scientist’, hosting discussions on everything from elasticity, expansion and aerodynamics, to pressure, static electricity and many other topics via balloon art. Now that’s the kind of learning that gets our attention.

When you include kids’ computer coding sessions by Skills Supply, face painting, a wide variety of pop-up food and drink stalls to enjoy, and even DJ sets, this really is set to be an entertaining, engaging and crucially educational experience for adults and children alike.

The Glasshouse itself is home to some incredible showcases of tech, software and app development; AI, fintech (financial technology), gaming and more, making it the perfect day out for curious minds and aspiring scientists of all ages. 

In fact, if you want to make your visit really special, you can book yourself in to see the massive and rather magnificent model of the moon, in particular, during the evening.

Read more:

Dr Kath Mackay, Chief Scientific Officer for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the extraordinary Museum of the Moon to Alderley Park.

“The installation has captured the attention and imaginations of visitors across the globe, so to have it displayed in our beautiful parkland is incredible. And what better way to celebrate its time with us than with the return of SciTech Extravaganza?

“It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the world of science and technology at its very best, and nurture curiosity and innovation in STEM-related fields. We look forward to welcoming families back for another unforgettable day, and to help inspire a new generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.”

Running from Monday, 1 September until Saturday, 20 September, tickets to witness the Museum of the Moon and all the other wonderful things on show at SciTech Extravaganza 2025 are available now – you can grab yours for free right HERE.

A giant cat exhibition has arrived in Manchester and it’s FREE to visit
Speaking of free exhibits…

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

Featured Images — Bruntwood (supplied)

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A giant ‘carnival on bikes’ championing Black culture is coming to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Black Unity and Culture Bike Ride Manchester 2025

One of the biggest bike ride events in the country, dubbed a ‘carnival on wheels’, is coming to Manchester this year.

The Black Unity Bike Ride (BUBR) was set up in London following the murder of George Floyd, which took place on 25 May 2020 and set shockwaves around the world.

Now, as the event is looking to reach across the UK, the event celebrating Black culture, joy, empowerment and unity is coming to our city region and its surrounding areas for the first time ever.

It’s set to be a truly brilliant and inspiring event.

Teaming up with London Marathon Events (LME) once again, the mass participation veterans have been lending expertise since 2021, and now they’ve reached a new five-year agreement to help continue strengthening BUBR and, hopefully, create a national movement by setting up in two new cities.

Manchester marks the first stage of the Black Unity Bike Ride expansion, which will see thousands take to cycling from Alexandra Park in Moss Side on a 12-mile route through the city and back to the beautiful outdoor space.

Aiming to mirror the success of the flagship BUBR event down in the capital, Manc participants and supporters can expect a vibrant, ‘festival feel’ with pumping music throughout.

Back at Alexandra Park, there’ll be even a huge pop-up home base for the event, bringing together Greater Manchester’s Black community with a big food and vendor village, more music and an uplifting atmosphere all day long.

The inaugural Manchester event will come just a fortnight after the sixth annual edition of the founding Black Unity Bike Ride in London, which sees waves of cyclists take on 17 miles, starting at Leyton Sports Ground and finishing in Dulwich Park.

black unity bike ride manchester 2025
BUBR London
Credit: Black Unity Bike Ride Manchester (supplied)

Promising route leaders, cheer zones and pitstops on the route, plenty of music, not to mention various indie food and drink traders pulling from a wide range of different ethnicities and cuisines, it’s this kind of full-on festival energy that BUBR Manchester is striving to capture.

Once again, it’s a ‘carnival on wheels’.

BUBR MCR 2025 will take place on Sunday, 17 August, the birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a key political activist – the forefather of the ‘Garveyism ideology – as well as publisher, journalist and orator who has his own national day named after him in his home country of Jamaica.

He advocated for the empowerment and rights of African descendants and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), in addition to organising America’s first-ever Black nationalist movement.

You can see the event documentary film, which chronicles last year’s Black Unity Bike Ride in full down below. It really is a moving watch – pardon the pun.

Read more:

It’s also worth noting that the Black Unity Bike Ride Fest is completely FREE, as the goal is to get as many people as possible. You can sign up

BUBR founder, Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, said of the upcoming event: “What began as a bold idea on London’s streets has grown into a national movement. We are very excited to bring the event to Manchester, it has been an aspiration for a few years so we can’t wait until Sunday, 17 August.”

“BUBR has valued London Marathon Events’ support since 2021, and we are very proud to extend this relationship with a new five-year commitment. The partnership is a true statement of intent when it comes to community, inclusion and inspiring active lives.”

BUBR has been to Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana and more; Manchester is up next and there’ll be another new home in 2026.

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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