Our cultural countdown to Christmas… Today, book tickets for immersive production How to Be Better at Contact & a NYE fairground at The Pen and Pencil.

Time now to flag up a fantastic-sounding production which runs 16-19 December at Contact theatre: How To Be Better comes from the acclaimed theatre company Common Wealth (also behind Contact’s co-production No Guts, No Heart, No Glory, which transferred to the Southbank) and looks at the pressures and complexities of Christmas. It will see the main performance space transformed into a world the audience can explore, with Contact’s Young Company weaving together stories inspired by interviews with young people on how to be your best self. Choose who you follow and what you discover in this immersive production. How To Be Better, Contact, 16-19 December, times vary, tickets £13 / £7 Conc.

An immersive Christmas production and a New Year’s Eve fairground

Looking even further ahead, now is about the time that you might be planning your New Year’s Eve, right? Take a look, then, at The Pen and Pencil Fairground – The Pen and Pencil’s circus-esque event at which you can see in the new year surrounded by slush puppies, candy floss and more. There’s fizz and hot dogs at midnight (what else?), with DJs Dan Wainwright and Tim Lawton on the decks into the small hours. Get booking before this sells out… The Pen and Pencil Fairground, The Pen and Pencil, 31 December, 9pm-late, tickets £15 (email info@thepenandpencilnq.co.uk or call 0161 660 3303)