Stuck as to how to entertain your friends and family this Christmas? Me too, and I don’t even have little ones – just grown up siblings, parents and my pug, Sonny, who will all be spending lots of time together from this weekend onwards. No need to fear, however, as there are so many things to do both in Manchester and cross the whole of the country. In fact, the UK offers some perfect festive activities for the entire family to enjoy, no matter your age, and some make the perfect excuse for a winter road trip, too. To help, Regatta has created an interactive map of the best winter mini-breaks as with Christmas being the most popular time of year, most places try to put on festive activities for both adults and children.
Not everyone can afford to fly to Finland to visit Lapland; the home of Santa Claus or hit the slopes sledging in Switzerland. Yet, we are lucky enough to have amazing festive activities located right at home in the UK. So here is a list of perfect family activities to enjoy around Christmas time in and around Manchester and the UK. Plus, if you have any more suggestions of your own, please do leave them in a comment below and let me know – I would love to hear what your traditional Christmas holiday activities are!
Ice Village is located in the Cathedral Gardens in Manchester. It is covered in ice sculptures of polar bears, huskies and yetis. Santa’s armchair is made of ice where you can sit and take a picture. There is an Arctic bar that serves frozen cocktails and warm beverages as well as an ice skating rink and games which the whole family can enjoy.
Festive films are now being shown in impressive locations up and down the country. The Luna Winter Cinema is showing iconic Christmas films in Kensington Palace in London and St Georges Hall in Liverpool. One of the most spectacular Christmas films shown was The Snowman which was shown in cathedrals in Durham and Winchester in front of a live orchestra.
The enchanted park is an after-dark theatrical experience in Saltwell Park in Gateshead. It is a magical experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family and is £9.50 for an adult and £4.50 for a child. For this year’s production, it is of The House of Lost and Found which tells a story through music, performance, and light.
Winter wonderland is based in Hyde Park, London and is home to Britain’s largest outdoor ice skating rink. It’s open for the 21st November to the 5th of January 2020 from 10am to 10pm. It offers live entertainment, a festive bar, food stalls, Christmas themed activities and a Ferris wheel.
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.