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
A major Manchester attraction is now offering 50% off kids tickets all autumn
Emily Sergeant
A major Manchester attraction is now offering 50% off kids tickets all autumn.
Autumn in Greater Manchester may be a thing of beauty, but if one thing’s for certain, the weather to get out there and appreciate the season it isn’t always the most reliable. That’s why many parents, guardians, and carers are often on the lookout for indoor activities to take the kids to when the heavens open – even better if the don’t break the bank too much.
Luckily, families looking for an affordable day out over the next couple of weeks can make the most of a new offer from a popular attraction, with 50% off child one-day tickets when purchased alongside a full-price adult ticket.
The offer gives families the chance to enjoy an underwater adventure for less at either SEA LIFE Manchester inside Trafford Palazzo, or a tad further afield SEA LIFE Blackpool.
At SEA LIFE Manchester, families can explore more than 30 display tanks and discover over 5,000 sea creatures – from sharks and rays in the immersive Ocean Tunnel, to colourful jellyfish and inquisitive sea turtles at Turtle Beach.
Meanwhile, over at SEA LIFE Blackpool, there’s a newly transformed ocean tank – which reopened early this summer following a £1.4 million refurbishment.
The 500,000-litre Jurassic-themed habitat is home to more than 50 creatures, including blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks, stingrays, and green sea turtles.
Fancy it then? The half-price offer is currently live and runs up until 15 October 2026, with up to three discounted child tickets per booking.
The offer can only be redeemed when you book tickets online here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
Charli XCX announces massive Manchester arena gig as part of long-awaited UK and European tour
Emily Sergeant
Charli XCX has finally given UK fans the news they’ve been waiting for.
After the genre-bending popstar announced back in June a series of US gigs this autumn to support and celebrate the release of her eighth studio albumMusic, Fashion, Film – which was met with critical acclaim following its release in late July – fans in her home country were wondering when she would announce UK dates to accompany these.
The 34-year-old been had hinting at a UK and European leg of the Music, Fashion, Film Tour on social media over the past couple of months, but nothing was set in stone as of yet.
Then last night, Charli took to Twitter to announce that she ‘finally’ had some information coming today (11 September), and then followed it up with a teaser video – sending fans into a frenzy.
And now, it has been announced this morning that Charli XCX will be taking to the Co-op Live stage early next year.
Support on the UK and European leg of the Music, Fashion, Film Tour will come from US popstar Audrey Hobert.
Hobert has been having somewhat of a star-making year herself in 2026 following the release of her own critically acclaimed debut album, Who’s The Clown?, last year – with her streams racking up daily and drawing in massive crowds on the festival circuit this summer.
Charli XCX – Music, Fashion, Film Tour UK & EU Dates 2027
13 February – 3Arena, Dublin
15 February – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
17 February – Co-op Live, Manchester
19 February – The O2, London
22 February – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
24 February – Accor Arena, Paris
Upon release back in July, Music, Fashion, Film the album received acclaim from music critics, who praised its lyrical honesty and experimental production, as Charli took a sonic journey away from the undeniable mega hit that was her 2024 album BRAT, and into ‘Rock Music’ territory.
Music, Fashion, Film topped the charts in the UK and Australia, as well as in Belgium, Hungary, and New Zealand, while reaching the top 10 in countless other countries – including the US.
Charli XCX will be bringing the Music, Fashion, Film Tour to Manchester‘s Co-op Live on Wednesday 17 February 2027, and tickets will go on sale next week.
Emily Sergeant -
16th November 2020 
