Get Lit! It’s Christmas! at The Castle

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Visit now

Get Lit! It’s Christmas

20 December 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

abi hynes
Abi Hynes
Book now

It’s that most wonderful time of the year – when three of our favourite regular spoken-word-stroke-live-literature nights get together for one big jolly good knees-up, celebrating the resurgence of silly string and crap jumpers with Christmassy vibes under The Castle’s famous fairy lights.

The collective talents of Bad Language (headed up once a month, now at Gullivers, by Joe Daly and Fat Roland), First Draft (curated under the watchful eyes of Abi Hynes and Harry Jelley) and The Real Story (most recently at Manchester Literature Festival and with big name acts brought to you throughout the year by Adam Farrar and Kate Feld, pictured) will be putting on “a literary version of a turducken” (that’s a three bird roast to you and me). There will be acts a-go-go to delight and entertain. The triple-set organisers will also be raising money for one of the city’s charities with a pay-what-you-wish style collection pot.

So, what to expect? Well, think poetry and prose readings, live music and comedy turns (definitely). Think singing and dancing (probably). Think general festive fun and seasonal shenanigans. There might be balloons. There might even be cake.

Full line-up to be announced shortly… All crackers, no turkeys, we’ve been promised!

Where to go near Get Lit! It’s Christmas! at The Castle

Balance Taproom
Manchester
Restaurant
Balance Taproom

Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

Richard Hards ‘Strangeways’
Manchester
Gallery
Moon Grove

A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.

In Focus: Chinese Contemporary Art.
Manchester
Gallery
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery

New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery opened in 2016, providing a permanent space to showcase the University of Salford Art Collection within the New Adelphi School of Arts and Media.

Cumbria
Restaurant
1863 Restaurant

1863 offers a seven-course Lake District tasting menu that overdelivers at every turn. Cumbrian ingredients, clever ideas and classical cooking techniques.

City Centre
Bar or Pub
Schofield’s Bar

Schofield’s could be Manchester’s most grown-up bar. Very precise drinks in an upmarket city centre venue. It’s not cheap, hey, but true class costs.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

Culture Guides

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Woodhill by LUNG Theatre.
Theatre

Contemporary performance, verbatim theatre, dark comedy and a bold vision of Gaza - an eclectic mix for the start of autumn.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.