Culture Guides
Destination Guides
In the month leading up to the C word, our guide to top family things to do together is about both outdoor and indoor adventures and the top family festive tickets to book now for.
We recommend booking now for Chester Zoo’s theatrical Lanterns experience which encompasses nine new zones including an Ice Kingdom.
We are more than excited for the premiere of comedian Jackie Hagan’s children’s show which has the best title in the world, The Forest of Forgotten Discos. Part of Contact’s In The City programme head to Hope Mill for this show which is set to be something else.
At Eureka! there are three new family things to do in Halifax including brand new Patternarium exhibition, winter show and the most inclusive and welcoming Santa’s grotto in the land.
Head to HOME for the charming and surreal White for younger ones and Slapstick for physical comedy for older ones.
Get your Raymond Briggs festive fix with Father Christmas at Waterside and The Snowman at the Bridgewater Hall.
Finally, Our Kids Social are laying on a family new year’s eve party in the daytime at YES so those with nippers don’t miss out.
Phew. Better get those diaries out!
Here are our picks
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1. Lightwaves 2018 at The Quays
Image courtesy of Tom Dekyvere Lightwaves 2018 at MediaCityUK, Manchester, 7–16 December 2018, free entry - Visit now
An unmissable ten days of luminary adventures. Interact with boundary-breaking new commissions, create your own digital masterpieces and take a selfie with a Dalek.
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2. The Lanterns at Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo The Lanterns at Chester Zoo, 23 November–23 December 2018, from £5 - Book now
Adventure around nine new magical, illuminated worlds after dark including an Ice Kingdom and meet Father Christmas.
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3. Winter Season at Eureka!
Eureka! The National Children's Musuem -
4. Stick Man at The Lowry
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5. Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas at Waterside
Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas at Waterside Arts, Manchester, 4–31 December 2018, from £12.5 - Book now
Who doesn’t love a charmingly grumpy character? Especially when it’s the big man himself? Lucky for us that the critically acclaimed production of Raymond Briggs’ classic tale docks at Waterside this Christmas.
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6. The Wizard of Oz at Storyhouse
Storyhouse The Wizard of Oz at Storyhouse, Chester, 7 December 2018–6 January 2019, from £15.00 - Book now
Take a trip down the Yellow Brick Road this Christmas with Storyhouse’s RSC version of the brilliantly beloved The Wizard of Oz.
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7. Contact and Jackie Hagan: The Forest of Forgotten Discos! at Hope Mill Theatre
Laura Skilbeck Contact and Jackie Hagan: The Forest of Forgotten Discos! at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, 11–23 December 2018, from £7.00 - 13.00 - Book now
This festive season, join CONTACT and Jackie Hagan for a new and exciting show for children aged 5+ (and the older ones who look after them!)
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8. Doctor Dolittle at The Lowry
© Alastair Muir, courtesy of The Lowry -
9. White at HOME
Paul Watt White at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 13–23 December 2018, from £7 - Book now
The beautifully strange world of White is the hottest ticket for toddlers in town this Christmas.
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10. Släpstick at HOME
Jaap Reedijk Släpstick at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 13–22 December 2018, from £10.00 - Book now
Five world-class musicians who have mastered over 100 instruments between them bring Släpstick to HOME – a dazzling blend of warm nostalgia, virtuosic musicianship and physical comedy.
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11. Our Kids Social says YES
We do -
12. Quentin Blake and John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children’s Books at Lady Lever Art Gallery
Quentin Blake Quentin Blake and John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children's Books at Lady Lever Art Gallery, 19 October 2018–3 March 2019, free entry - Visit now
Bookworms rejoice! The first exhibition to celebrate illustrator Quentin Blake’s decades-long partnership with author and childhood friend John Yeoman promises literary larks and crazy characters for all.
More in Families
Wonderlab at the Science and Media Museum
Explore a maze of mirrors and take part in Star Wars inspired sound battles in over 20 new state-of-the-art experiences in this new exhibition.
Annual Banner Changeover 2018 at the People’s History Museum
Explore the story of democracy through a special display of banners that were integral to the women’s suffrage movement, as well as other campaigns for representation at the People’s History Museum.
Lark Hill Place 1918 at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Investigate the brand new 1918 setting for atmospheric street installation Lark Hill Place, then let loose in Peel Park.
Rocket Returns to the Science and Industry Museum
Make tracks for Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum. A one-in-a-lifetime chance to see Stephenson’s Rocket return to the site of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway for the first time in over 180 years.
Electricity: The Spark of Life at the Science and Industry Museum
A headline event for Manchester Science Festival, this super-charged new exhibition tells the story of our quest to understand, unlock and master the power of electricity.
Documentary Challenge at IWM North
Make and feature in your own mini-documentary at IWM North.
Manchester Christmas Markets
The Manchester Christmas Markets are one of the biggest and busiest Christmas markets in Europe. Happening across Manchester city centre from 9 November to 20 December. Pick up stocking-fillers stuff yourself with German sausage and wash down with lashings of glühwein.
Liverpool Christmas Ice Festival
Liverpool’s iconic Pier Head is transformed into a winter wonderland for the return of the much-loved Liverpool Christmas Ice Festival
World of Music at Band on the Wall
Taking place at Band on the Wall over four Saturdays, the Guide to the World of Music taster sessions will help young people learn how to sing, play and discover new music.
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