The Twilight Trail
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
This festive season, Mayfield Park hosts The Twilight Trail – an enchanting winter light show running up until Sunday 31 December, as part of the Winter Island experience. And yes, that is Freight Island neatly renamed for the season.
The Twilight Trail is the perfect inner-city Christmas destination for all ages, from families to couples, groups, and everyone in between. It’s the first event of its kind at Mayfield Park, transforming into “a dazzling city-centre winter escape” for the duration of the festive period.
Topping the line-up of astonishing visual installations, The Twilight Trail’s audio is curated by legendary DJ and producer Kenny Dope, with help from the Manchester-based collective La Discotheque.
Beginning the journey at Mayfield Park, visitors will finish the 30-minute trail at Freight Island, which has once again become Winter Island this year.
There, you’ll find a brand-new Grotto in the Plant Room, which will house an interactive Visit Santa Experience, while The Mezz will be transformed into a cosy Alpine Lodge in collaboration with Grey Goose. More experiences come in the form of live performances, a Santa Paws dog show and a wreath making workshop with Northern Lights.
Of course, as a leading food and drink hub, there’ll be plenty of Christmas pop-ups from Cocoa Cabana, Parmogeddon, Formaggi by Lazy Tony’s, Smoking Coal German BBQ, alongside a Paulaner Tap Takeover.
Laura Percy, Development Director at LandSecU+I, leading the regeneration of Mayfield, said: “The new Twilight Trail promises to be a brilliant addition to both Mayfield Park and the whole of Manchester city centre, complementing the Christmas markets, which are such a popular destination for thousands of visitors every year.”
Jon Drape from The Twilight Trail said: “We are thrilled to bring a new festive experience to Mayfield Park this year. The Twilight Trail’s unique light installations will completely transform this incredible park. We are very proud to be able to deliver such a wonderful experience at an affordable price this year, whether for the family, groups of friends or a date night. Combined with the opportunity to visit the brand-new Winter Island next door we believe Depot Mayfield is set to be an unrivalled Christmas destination in the UK.”
Affordable tickets are available now – with a price of £8 for November dates and £9 for December dates. Family tickets (two adults and two children) are yours for £28 for November dates and £32 for December dates. For residents of Ardwick and Brunswick, particularly families, many complimentary tickets will be available so as many people as possible can come and enjoy the Trail.
The festive destination is strategically located in the city centre, just a short five-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, providing easy transport links including trains, trams and buses.
Looking for more festive events and experiences? Check our our Christmas guide.
