Chill Factore has announced a virtual Santa’s Grotto you can visit from the comfort of your own home this festive season.
There’s no denying Christmas is set to be a little different this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and with social distancing measures in place, but Chill Factore – the UK’s leading indoor snow complex – is “keeping the magic of Christmas alive” by letting children share their Christmas list with Santa via the power of video call.
With the help of some specially-trained elves, Santa has been brought up to date with all the latest technology, and will be available for exclusive live, interactive video calls with you and your little ones to guarantee good tidings.
From 5th – 24th December, Santa and his helpers will be in his magical grotto on Chill Factore’s real snow, before he flies off to make some very important deliveries, and this virtual grotto experience has the capability to dial in multiple callers and have them interacting on the same screen, which means you can safely bring your family together to enjoy the magic.
How brilliant is this?
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You can expect snow fall, mischievous elves and an interactive ‘Naughty – Nice’ometer’ – which measures on screen how good your little ones have been this year – with this live and bespoke call experience to spread festive cheer after a turbulent year.
Your grotto experience will also be recorded and sent to you by Santa’s helpers, so that you and your family can hold on to the memories forever.
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After all, it’s not every day that Santa calls.
And it’s not just homes that Santa will be calling from his magical Chill Factore grotto, as Chill Factore is also working closely with Saint Nick to bring this festive experience to the bedside of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for free, helping to bring Christmas onto the wards and make it a home from home for those children being treated in hospital over the festive season.
Speaking on its new grotto experience, Morwenna Angove – CEO at Chill Factore – said: “We’re thrilled that Santa and his helpers are returning to our real snow slope again this year. Due to COVID-19 regulations, we cannot invite guests into the grotto as usual [so] working with our partners at Prestige Events Enterprises, we have set up these virtual calls so that children will still be able to see Santa safely this year through the power of video – something we’ve all grown to use more in 2020, including Santa.
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“We’re also proud to be working closely with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity), ensuring that children who are in hospital over the festive period still get to see Santa.
“It promises to be a really special experience for the whole family, especially after the uncertainty of 2020.”
Chill Factore
The Santa Calls experience will run from Saturday 5th December – 24th December 2020 and each call will last around five minutes.
The experience can be booked from £20.99.
This price includes the call recording and the option to add multiple callers/screens, so that the whole family can be brought together, and you can also text SANTA to 70125 to donate £2 to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to support seriously ill children this Christmas time.
To book and find out more information, visit the Chill Factore website here.
What's On
Smash-hit West End musical Trainspotting is coming to Manchester later this year
Emily Sergeant
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical is heading out on a major UK tour later this year, and will be taking to one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages in the autumn.
Written by Irvine Welsh – as adapted from his best-selling debut novel – and directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, Trainspotting The Musical has been described by critics as ‘radical, invigorating and life-affirming’ since its premiere.
It’s said to be an unforgettable production that’ll have even the most sceptical audiences leave on a ‘consciousness-altering high.’
➕ ATG+ PRESALE ➕
CHOOSE LIFE.
Trainspotting: The Musical is coming to the Palace Theatre this November. Written by Irvine Welsh.
Groups presale 👉 Tues 12 May 10am General sale 👉 Wed 13 May 10am
— Palace & Opera Mcr (@PalaceAndOpera) May 11, 2026
In 1996, the breakthrough British film of the same name was released and became the biggest grossing UK film of the year, winning a slew of awards in the process – including a BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and even being ranked tenth in the BFI’s top 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.
Now, three decades later, the industrial drug crazed working-class heroes of British youth culture are back… but this time, live on stage.
Trainspotting The Musical is coming to Manchester later this year / Credit: Supplied
“I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film,” creator Irvine Welsh commented as the UK tour was announced this week.
“People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off. It’s what being human is all about. We’ve put together an incredible Scottish cast and I can’t wait to see them bring the musical to life.”
Trainspotting The Musical will taking to the stage at Manchester Palace Theatre later this year from Monday 2 – Saturday 7 November 2026, and tickets officially go on general sale tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) from 10am.
A beloved Manc gig venue is hosting a special afterparty following Manichester tribute festival
Danny Jones
A much-loved live music institution in Manchester is set to host a dedicated afterparty for the inaugural ‘Manichester’: the live tribute festival in memory of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
Seeing the grassroots music scene gathering together in moments like this is the kind of stuff that would make the man himself SO proud.
With Manichester 2026 announced this past March and set to take place later this month in honour of the legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, tickets for the main event sold out very quickly.
This came as no surprise, of course, but now other Manc venues are joining in toasting the life and career of Mani for one very special evening.
Shared by Madchester.com, who are helping organise the Manichester ’26 along with surviving members of the Mounfield family, as well as Mani’s friends and peers such as his brother Greg and Damon Minchella of Ocean Colour Scene, gig space Gorilla are hosting it.
The small-cap live music room, bar and restaurant has hosted many a special night over the past decade or so – hosting multiple War Child charity shows in the past few years, for instance – and even when they’re not hosting a set themselves, they’re always more than happy to join in the celebrations.
With that in mind, there always likely to pay their respects to the late, great and iconic local musician in some way, but now they’re teaming up with Madchester directly.
Positioned as the official ‘aftershow’ following the mini tribute festival, as you can see, there will be just 600 tickets available, with general admission for the main event already gone as mentioned.
At one point, it looked like the kind-spirited and well-meaning idea might be scrapped altogether after some confusion between the organising partners.
Thankfully, that all looks to have been put to bed, and all those involved can focus on what’s important: honouring Mani in the best way possible – with a load of live tunes and a good time.
In terms of those who will be playing on the night ahead of the aftershow, the likes of the equally legendary Peter Hook, Rowetta, The Kowloons, Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers, plus many more, have been announced as part of the lineup.
There is also still a ‘AAA’ headliner still yet to be confirmed, so watch this space.
As for the Manichester afterparty at Gorilla, keep an eye out on socials for the ticket link to drop and, hopefully, we’ll see you there for a night to remember.
Emily Sergeant -
16th November 2020 
