Lightopia is officially returning to Heaton Park for a new, socially-distanced edition of adventures, lights, lanterns, sculptures and shows this December.
Following the UK government’s announcement that England’s national lockdown will end on 2nd December, Lightopia – which was originally due to open on 20th November – is now to open its award-winning and visually spectacular lantern and light festival at Heaton Park on Thursday 3rd December, and extend its run all the way through until Sunday 10th January.
The event will be also now be open every day, except Christmas Day.
With Christmas very much the theme for this year’s light and lantern festival, Lightopia will use the stunning Grade I-listed Heaton Hall as its sparkling backdrop for all its festive merriment, and will feature a 10-metre illuminated Christmas tree.
Ticket holders whose booking has already been affected by lockdown restrictions have been informed directly and advised on all their options – including moving their booking to another date in December, or being offered a refund – and Lightopia is currently working with local authorities in accordance with government guidelines to create its socially-distanced festive spectacular.
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This year’s event showcases unique interactive and immersive lights and lanterns, with new installations and a brand-new route for guests to explore for 2020.
The new route has been designed to create a safe environment where visitors are able to see the sights safely with friends and family, and there will be wider footpaths to maintain social distancing, a one-way system, three entry points to reduce queuing, and direct access to two car parks.
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Lightopia has also implemented a series of further measures to ensure all steps are taken to keep visitors safe, and these include:
NHS Test and Trace: QR codes will be displayed at multiple locations on the trail.
Social Distancing: This shall be mandatory at the event at all times.
One Way System: The Lightopia trail is one direction only.
Pre-booked Tickets Only: Trail tickets are only available to prebook online.
Contactless Ticket Scanning: All ticket scanning will be contactless on entry to the event.
Card Payments Only: Vendors and car parks will only accept card payments.
No Alcohol: Following latest government guidance no alcohol is permitted onsite.
Quick Food and Drink: All food & drink on the trail will be takeaway only.
Hand Hygiene: Hand sanitising stations will be located throughout the trail.
Increased Cleansing: All facilities, surfaces and touch points will be cleaned regularly.
Increased Stewards: Increased number of stewards on our route to manage social distancing and assist with any visitor queries onsite.
Lightopia
Lightopia will be open to the public from Thursday 3rd December – Sunday 10th January (except for Christmas Day) and opening times are between 5pm to 10pm, and last entry is 8.30pm daily.
Advance pre-booked tickets are priced at £20 for adults (or £22 on the day), £13 for children (or £15 on the day), and £60 for families of two adults and two children (£68 on the day).
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Children under three can go free.
Essential carers of disabled visitors can also attend the event for free, with the disabled visitor paying the normal admission fee.
There are also a limited number of tickets available for key workers – with a 20% discount off the standard ticket price when using code KEY20 – plus, the 20% discount is applied to all tickets in the online basket.
One essential worker ID is required for entry, per party.
The festival will also launch a Wheel of Light for Black Friday with special prizes to be won from Wednesday 25th November – Sunday 29th November, and you can head to the Lightopia website to spin the Wheel of Light and be in with a chance of winning 25% off tickets, a VIP tour for two, and many more prizes (T&Cs apply).
You can book your tickets and find more information via the Lightopia website here.
What's On
Harry Styles announced as latest performer at the 2026 BRIT Awards
Danny Jones
Yes, in what is set to be his Co-op Live debut (yes, the venue he’s literally invested in), Harry Styles has been confirmed as the latest blockbuster performer at this year’s BRITs.
The lineup for the 2026 BRIT Awards was already pretty stacked, but this just takes the cake.
Not long after FINALLY announcing his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally and releasing the new lead single, ‘Aperture’, the Cheshire-born singer-songwriter is coming to the Co-op Live arena for the very first time as part of the ceremony’s live music lineup.
Absolute scenes. Screaming, crying, throwing up.
we've got news… Harry's coming home 💋🪩@Harry_Styles will be making his live TV performance debut of music from his new album 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.' at The BRIT Awards 2026
Watch the performance live Saturday 28th February on ITV1 & ITVX in the UK and on… pic.twitter.com/Aax3lV03xM
The 31-year-old former One Direction member turned solo artist and global megastar recently revealed a raft of live shows this coming May (and there’s been plenty of discussion surrounding ticket prices), but he’s sadly overlooked Manchester for now.
However, anyone who already secured a seat at the first-ever BRITs here in Manchester will no doubt be doing cartwheels now following the announcement.
As if that wasn’t a mega enough name, he will be joining the likes of the wonderful, already award-winning and fellow multi-time nominee, Olivia Dean.
As quite literally two of the biggest musicians on the planet right now, we couldn’t pick a better roster if we dreamed it up ourselves.
Speaking of Ms Dean, she is also one of several acts confirmed to be playing a series of intimate acts across the country – and her’s is right here in Manchester.
You can see the full lineup of gigs HERE – all we’ll say is that there’s some seriously big hitters playing very small capacity venues on this list.
What a great few weeks for music, eh?
Taking place on Sunday, 28 February, public tickets for the show unfortunately sold out some time ago for what will also be his first-ever live musical TV performance.
Perhaps his booking is at least partly why we haven’t got a standalone Harry Styles Manchester gig on the ‘Together, Together’ tour, but we’re still keeping everything crossed that he’ll announce a second leg of shows here in the UK.
You’d think he’d fancy properly headlining the gaff he helped pay for, or maybe a return to the Etihad Stadium across the way, right?
Find the complete shortlist of nominees, as well as the rest of the live music lineup for the 2026 BRITs ceremony here in Manchester, down below; and if you see on screen trying to clutch at Harry’s ankles, we’re sure you’ll understand…
Featured Images — Leticia Moraes (via Flickr)/Press shots (supplied)
What's On
Sounds From The Other City releases 2026 lineup with 100+ acts playing on 17 stages across Salford
Emily Sergeant
More than 100 exciting artists are set to perform on 17 stages dotted across Salford this spring.
In case you hadn’t heard, 2026 is the year Salford is celebrating 100 years since it was first declared its own city, and to celebrate such a monumental occasion, the popular Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) festival has now released its full lineup ahead of its return on the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Salford’s long-running independent festival of new music is known for its genre-spanning showcase of new artists from across the UK and beyond.
This year’s festival is curated by some of the most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines, and tastemakers in the North.
Music lovers will get the chance to see artists in a wide range of independent venues and unconventional spaces across the city – with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches, to concert halls and galleries.
Artists announced today include the uncategorisable masked provocateur Lynks, South African ‘future ghetto funk’ trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly, Manchester-based artist jasmine.4.t, who has recently been named BBC 6 Music Artist of the Year 2025.
Other artists to look out for include Grey Lantern, FaT OuT, ambient pop artist Pollyfromthedirt, genre-straddling South London six-piece, Blue Bendy, South London trio ashnymph, and Manchester quartet Pyncher.
The Sounds From The Other City festival has released its 2026 lineup / Credit: Breige Cobane (Supplied)
One of the undeniable highlights of the lineup is that the spiritual home of the festival, Islington Mill, will be programmed day and night by the legendary Band on the Wall, multi-award-winning Reform Radio, Manchester’s infamous queer day-rave BENT, and the LGBTQ+ POC collective Swagga, with performances from Sorvina, Renee Stormz, and Chimpo.
“This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme,” commented Emma Thompson, Co-Director of From The Other, as the lineup was announced this week.
“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital, not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important these spaces are for our scene.”
Sounds From The Other City 2026 takes place on Sunday 3 May, and tickets go on sale this week – with Early Bird ticket access available to mailing list subscribers from tomorrow (Thursday 29 January) and the remaining tickets going on general sale from Friday 30 January.
Prices remain unchanged from 2025 with tiers at £30/35/40/45, and you can get tickets when they go live here.
Emily Sergeant -
24th November 2020 
