Half Term at Chill Factore

Sarah Gaffney-Lang, Families Editor

Book now

Half Term at Chill Factore

19-31 October 2019

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

People sliding down the slopes at Chill Factore on an inflatable ring
Book now

For all those that think Chill Factore is just for families who have spent time on the slopes, think again! Chill Factore is about much more than just learning to ski and snowboard. There’s loads going on under the roof of the UK’s longest real snow slope, including a climbing wall, their new Snow Park and a Mini Moose Land for the under 4s.

Chill Factor represents an action-packed day for adults and children alike – this is somewhere the grown-ups can get stuck in and burn off as much energy as the little ones! If you want to… If, however, thrill-seeking doesn’t appeal then you can head to Bodo and Layke, a fantastic restaurant, offering barista coffee, great food and spectacular views of the slopes from the balcony. October half term is the perfect time to check out Chill Factore if you’ve not done so before.

The Snow Park is a unique experience in Manchester – an indoor winter wonderland, with real snow. When you enter the Snow Park, you’ll experience the delights of the Downhill Donuts and the exhilaration of plunging along the twisting Ice and Snow Slides. Parents can have as much fun as the kids!

Three children with an instructor on the slope at Chill Factore

If you’ve got little ones under 4 years old then head to Mini Moose Land. A one hour pass is only £7 and parents go free. This is a really unique toddler play setting and a fantastic place for little ones to test out their “snow feet”. They’re free to explore the area; play in the snow, slide on the mini donut ramp or play hide and seek in the igloo and tunnels.

If your kids are a bit older and keen to try a new sport then you can book onto a 50-minute ski or snowboard Fun Taster session. If you’re planning on booking a skiing or snowboarding holiday this season this is a great opportunity to learn the basics before you go. The slopes are a little quieter and lesson groups are likely to be smaller meaning you have more space to practice and iron out your technique.

There’s lots of great offers on over the holiday period so head to their website, dig out the woolly hats and get planning a day out that the whole family will remember for a long time.

Where to go near Half Term at Chill Factore

Grafton Arms
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Grafton Arms

Grafton Arms has undergone an impressive revamp. The Eagle Inn team have turned this traditional pub into a standout live venue and drinking destination.

Proloco
Manchester
Restaurant
Proloco

Honest Crust’s Richard Carver and Rainy Heart’s Dan Hope join forces at Proloco, a music-led Ancoats restaurant serving 18-inch pizzas and seasonal plates.

City Centre
Restaurant
GiGi Gusto Griglia

GiGi is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1950s décor and a menu that sticks to the classics.

Blackburn
Restaurant
Northcote

Northcote’s Michelin-starred restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Ribble Valley. We get a first look at the new autumnal menu.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Pentonbridge Inn

Pentonbridge Inn is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in north Cumbria. Eight courses of bunkum-free fine dining from head chef Chris Archer.

Manchester
Restaurant
Dahlia Stereo

Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.

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.

What's on: Families

Culture Guides

Theatre

The nights are drawing in. Theatre across the North is refusing to play it safe. November brings experimental performance, queer comedy and plenty of surprises.

Food and Drink in the North

It's autumn and time to get scheduling those hearty meals. Here's the October guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Music

Grubby dance music meets high-gloss hyperpop and wildly ambitious opera in our latest music guide.

Exhibitions

It’s a good season for contemporary art fans in Manchester, with many of our favourite small galleries launching something big.

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.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...