It’s the week before Christmas, and all through the region… there’s so much festive fun to be getting involved with.
We know we’ve been talking about it for weeks at this point, but there’s no denying ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ is here now, is there? And so it’s absolutely no surprise that the Greater Manchester events calendar is absolutely jam-packed with all sorts of festive celebrations and activities to get stuck into as Christmas is right on the doorstep.
If you’re finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though, luckily, we’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Manchester Christmas Markets 2023
Manchester City Centre
Monday 18 – Thursday 21 December
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Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 / Credit: Manchester City Council | The Manc Group
Can you actually believe it’s the final week of Manchester’s Christmas Markets for 2023?
The iconic annual event may be an absolute staple in Manchester’s festive events calendar, and always draws in thousands of visitors from all across the globe, with more than 225 stalls across nine sites having lining the streets of our city this year – but, it’s time to bid the festivities farewell for another year this week.
This is your last chance to tuck into a wide range of festive foods and drinks, and shop for Christmas gifts from countless independent traders.
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Find out everything you need to know about Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 here.
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Santa Specials
East Lancashire Railway
Monday 18 – Sunday 24 December
Santa Specials / Credit: ELR
This is also your last week to catch East Lancashire Railway’s beloved Santa steam train rides.
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Running right through until Christmas Eve, ELR’s ‘Santa Specials‘ are your chance to hop on board an old-school steam train and travel through the magical Irwell Valley to make “enchanted memories” that last a lifetime.
The famous festive steam trains have become an essential part of Christmas for many families in the North West, and there’s still some tickets left available.
This brand-new immersive experience is made up of several spectacular light displays, unique lantern installations, and a captivation sound-scape dotted around the pristine new park – with each circuit estimated to take around half an hour.
The Twilight Trail is running right through until the new year, and you can grab tickets here.
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Skate Manchester
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 18 – Sunday 31 December
Skate Manchester 2023 / Credit: Skate Manchester
What’s a festive season in the city without Skate Manchester?
Back once again for 2023 with twinkling lights, the smell of gingerbread, and Christmas songs playing on repeat, Skate Manchester’s stunning outdoor ice rink is in the heart of the city at Cathedral Gardens right up until the new year.
With the covered rink’s convenient roof allowing everyone to enjoy the ice, whatever the weather, visitors of all ages are invited to glide over the ice and admire the glorious Christmas tree right in the centre.
Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are back, and they’re bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks.
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And this year, there’s not one, but two locations in Manchester city centre.
While Bar Hütte at Great Northern Square is back on Deansgate with 15 cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under a heated stretch tent and twinkling lights, Bar Hütte at Kampus also sees a new outdoor terrace with eight snug, wooden karaoke hüttes nestled beneath the trees, and an ‘Aprés Ski Bungalow’ serving as an indoor alpine bar.
Cheshire Oaks’ beloved grotto looks a little different to usual in 2023.
That’s because the big man in red and his trusty elves are taking to the skies once again this year, and are inviting you on a fantastical festive adventure on the outlet’s ‘Big Wheel’.
Open every weekend and on selected weekday dates throughout December, the ‘Santa in the Sky’ experience is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas as a family this winter, and make memories to last a lifetime.
Land of Lights has transformed Gulliver’s World in Warrington into an immersive winter wonderland with 12 “vivid dreamworlds” full of dozens of gigantic lanterns that are inspired by animals, mega monuments, and wonders of the natural world.
As the sun goes down and the nights draw in, visitors to the North West attraction can explore an amazing array of light installations as they walk all around the park.
With a marathon of three films set to be screened on each day of the event, the Christmas screenings schedule kicks off is made up of festive favourites such as Love Actually, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Holiday, The Muppet Christmas Carol, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Bad Santa, and so many more.
A brand-new breathtaking light trail has officially opened at Heaton Park for Christmas.
Having transformed the popular Manchester park into a twinkling winter wonderland, visitors can walk through fields of colour-changing orbs of light, venture among larger-than-life glowing flowers, and even wander through a giant twinkling tunnel as part of the all-new seasonal light display.
Neon strings reach high into the sky and a laser garden will light up its space with thousands of tiny beams of light.
You can pick your own fresh fruit from the fields of a family-run farm near Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Just over the border into Warrington, you’ll find the perfect place to pick your own fresh fruit this summer.
We’re talking miles and miles (and miles) of strawberries.
This is Kenyon Hall Farm – a farm in Croft that has been worked by the same family since around 1500, and although it was originally considered a ‘mixed farm’, it has gone from strength to strength over the years, transforming from a traditional agricultural property into one of the UK’s top award-winning farm shops and tourism destinations.
Current owners Tod and Barbara took over the farm in 1978, and the couple, alongside their two sons James and Simon, as well as their partners and dozens of other full-time and seasonal staff, have turned it into a place that families travel from far and wide to visit.
Popular for its ever-expanding pumpkin patch experience in the autumn, its Easter egg hunts in the spring, and its on-site cafe and farm shop, Kenyon Hall Farm is no longer the ‘sleepy’ arable farm that Tod and Barbara once inherited, it’s now a cultural gem in the Croft community that exceeds 500-acres.
It’s pick-your-own strawberry season at Kenyon Hall Farm / Credit: The Manc Group
But there’s one stunning ‘season’ at Kenyon Hall Farm that we just have to shout about… and that’s strawberry season.
Or, should we say, pick-your-own fresh fruit season instead, as not only are there miles and miles of strawberry fields to roam free in – which open from the start of summer in June – but as the season goes on, there’s also raspberries, blackcurrants, potatoes, onions, and loads more to choose from too.
Strawberries have been growing at Kenyon Hall Farm for nearly 50 years now, and used to be its main attraction, often being inundated with locals when it opened for just six-weeks a year – but then, back 2019, they decided to introduce special strawberry growing tunnels, meaning they could extend opening times until the end of August, all while making the experience less weather-dependent.
When 2020 rolled around and the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ticketing was introduced in order to keep everyone safe and help staff manage visitor demand once the fruit fields reopened.
But as this proved to work so well, it’s a system that has remained in place ever since.
This means that, especially for strawberry picking, you need to head online and book your ticket in advance, as staff really don’t want anyone to leave disappointed if they have to turn people away.
There’s so much seasonal produce in the on-site cafe and farm shop too / Credit: The Manc Group
And once you’re done frolicking in the fruit fields, you can then head into the cafe afterwards to try some seasonal specials like cream teas with homemade strawberry jam, or french toast with strawberry compote and Biscoff crumb, all washed down with strawberry matchas made with homemade syrup.
Make sure to pop into the farm shop before you leave too and stock up on all the seasonal produce and gifts you could ever need – including homemade strawberry jams, gins, and more.
Strawberry season has now started at Kenyon Hall Farm, and you can book your tickets online for £5.95 – £6.95 per person, with spaces released up to 24–48 hours ahead of time.
Included in your ticket price is a punnet to fill, and anything else you pick is paid for by weight on the way out.
You can win two VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show as part of a heartwarming Manc charity raffle
Danny Jones
Fancy bagging yourself the posh treatment at the biggest indoor gig and live entertainment venue in the city? Well, you can do just that by entering the latest Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, which is offering a pair of VIP tickets to a Co-op Live show.
All you have to do is simply do your bit for a crucial local cause.
It’s one that we’ve worked closely with in the past on many occasions: the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, which helps house rough sleepers across the region.
Teaming up with The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness – which was created specifically to generate funds for this ongoing crisis – as well as an upcoming community social, all you have to do to be in with a chance is put your name down for a cheap raffle ticket.
Writing in the caption of the post, the Mayor’s Charity has revealed that “Cross Club Social and The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness are teaming up to raffle off 2x VIP Co-op Live tickets to a show of your choosing.”
That’s right, not just any random show – you get to pick which one you fancy going along to in style.
With the 2026 edition of the annual fundraising relay event, on behalf of Greater Manchester’s homeless community, taking place this November (find out more on the GMMC website and keep up to date with us here at The Manc for the latest) they’re hoping to get the donations going nice and early.
For anyone unaware, the Cross Club Social, or ‘XCS’, has been going for a few years now; it brings together runners from all over the 10 boroughs for a big post-race party, all whilst raising money for charitable organisations.
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
The next edition will be taking place this Friday, 19 June, over at the award-winning Fairfield Social Club, where an all-day party will run, pardon the pun, well into the night.
Better still, entrants into the raffle don’t have to wait long to find out if they’re a winner, as the lucky recipient is set to be announced the following Saturday (20 Jun) after the big shindig over on the XCS Instagram page.
The Mayor’s Charity team signed off by adding, “Good luck and together, we will end homelessness” – a mission that many Manc groups, especially, have been working so hard to make possible in recent times.
For instance, last year alone, the aforementioned 24 Hour Run, whose team will be in attendance and taking donations for at XCS 2026, generated a whopping £70k, and the total tally has now reached truly life-changing sums.
As for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity raffle, you can grab a ticket HERE for just a fiver to secure your chance to go along to a VIP night at Co-op Live. Fingers crossed!
Emily Sergeant -
18th December 2023 
