Rainy day picks
Indoor Christmas things to do on a rainy day near Altrincham, Sale and Manchester 2026
Christmas outings near Timperley that don't mind the weather: Santa under a roof, indoor days out, free museums, shows, films, workshops and a covered ice rink, 14 November to Christmas Eve.
Published . Prices and booking status below are checked every week.
Everything on this page is indoors or under cover, mostly within half an hour of Timperley, and grouped by the kind of day you’re after: Santa under a roof, a big day out inside, something free, a show, a film, something to make or skating that doesn’t mind the rain. Prices, dates and booking status in each row come from our checks and update themselves.
For dry days, Christmas weekends has our picks weekend by weekend, and the free Christmas and toddlers pages have the ones that cost nothing and the ones for under-5s.
Meet Santa under a roof
20 November to 24 December, cheapest on weekday mornings. A covered tent in the Trafford Centre car park by the Orient. Children make a digital sweet and play games as Holly Jolly Helpers before a private meeting with Santa, and take home a plush toy. It takes about 30 minutes, and the calmer SEND sessions have no strobes or loud effects.
Weekends from 21 November, then daily 16 to 23 December. Father Christmas waits on the station platform in the Power Hall among the old locomotives. Up to two adults go with each child free, and you’ll also need a free museum ticket, so the rest of the museum makes a day of it.
Daily from 20 November. A walk-through story with the elves in the Corn Exchange, ending in Santa’s cabin, about 30 minutes in all. The queue is inside too. Every child needs a ticket, babies included, and the prices include a 10% fee.
Selected dates 5 to 24 December. A private slot for up to six at the barn near Dunham Massey, with a craft and reindeer food before your own unhurried time with Santa. You can take your own photos and parking is free. Some dates have already gone.
Pubs near home do Santa breakfasts indoors too, such as the Axe & Cleaver in Dunham on five mornings in December. Wythenshawe Hall opens for a Christmas weekend with a grotto on 12 and 13 December.
Big days out indoors
Selected dates 21 November to 31 December, half-hour slots from 11am. The mansion’s rooms are dressed as stops on Phileas Fogg’s journey Around the World in 80 Days, with small activities for children along the way. Parkland car entry is charged on top.
4 December to 3 January, several shows a day. The Trafford Centre’s Christmas ice show: a rescue story with professional skaters, aerial acts and circus skills. There’s no child rate, but off-peak side seats on 10, 11, 16 and 17 December are the cheapest.
Daily from 20 November, included with a SEA LIFE ticket. Children follow an Elf on the Shelf trail through the aquarium, collecting pieces of a sea star medallion to keep, with a certificate at the end.
Weekends from 21 November, then daily 18 to 24 December. The big-ticket choice: the Polar Express story acted out at Victoria Warehouse near Old Trafford, ending with Santa. Under-2s on a lap go free.
Bramall Hall is dressed for Christmas from Wednesday to Sunday until 3 January (closed over Christmas itself), with under-16s free and an Elf Trail at £3 a child. At Quarry Bank, the play space on the top floor of the mill becomes Operation Elf from 2 December, free with admission.
Free, or nearly
| What | Price | When | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEGO Giftmas WorkshopPeople's History Museum · 25 min | Free entry; no tickets | 3–6 Dec | No booking needed |
| PHM Winter Makers MarketPeople's History Museum · 25 min | Free entry; paid preview evening Fri 20 Nov (£10) and paid workshops | 21–22 Nov | No booking needed |
| Stan's Secret Santa SaturdayManchester Museum · 25 min | Free; bring gifts or seasonal food to donate | Sat 5 Dec | On sale |
| The Muppet Christmas Carol at Manchester Central LibraryManchester Central Library · 25 min | Free, but you need a ticket. | Sat 12 Dec | On sale |
| Storytelling Zone: free family drop-in spacePeople's History Museum · 25 min | Free drop-in | 10 Jun – 31 Dec | No booking needed |
The LEGO Giftmas workshop has no tickets: you may be given a wristband to come back later at busy times, and the first and last hour each day are quieter. The Muppet Christmas Carol and Stan’s Secret Santa Saturday need a free ticket booked first. Manchester Museum’s Magic Place, a digital funhouse where the screens follow your moves, opens on 28 November (timed tickets, under-4s free). The Museum of Transport’s Christmas weekend on 12 and 13 December is free for under-16s, with free heritage buses to the Christmas markets.
Shows and pantos
4 December to 3 January. The Garrick’s own panto, ten minutes from Timperley, for ages 3 and up. Expect bangs, flashing lights and pyrotechnics, toned down at the relaxed show on Saturday 12 December at 5.30pm. Weekend matinees before Christmas go first; midweek evenings have more room.
Weekends from 5 December, then daily 19 to 27 December. An hour-long musical with penguin puppets at Waterside in Sale, for ages 3 and up. One price for everyone, and the first show on Saturday 5 December at 11am is BSL-interpreted and relaxed.
Friday 4 December 7pm, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 1.30pm. A traditional Cinderella in the Forum’s main hall, and the cheapest panto near home: £24 for a family of four.
11 to 30 December. A 50-minute dance show for ages 0 to 4 that little ones watch and join in, for children too young for a panto. Babies need a ticket too, and morning shows go first.
4 December to 3 January. The Ahlbergs’ picture book on stage at the Lowry, an hour long with no interval, with live music and plenty of joining in. One price for all ages.
Christmas films
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December mornings. Illumination’s Grinch at the Northern Light in Sale, rated U and under an hour and a half: a good first cinema trip.
The Northern Light also has The Polar Express on 20, 22 and 23 December, and the Garrick shows The Polar Express once, on Tuesday 8 December at 7pm. Every Christmas screening we know of is on our Christmas films page.
Make something
Seven dates from 22 November, 45 minutes, £8. Children mix their own festive slime at Hobbycraft in Altrincham, for ages 3 and up, with a grown-up watching for free. Five children a session at most, so book ahead, and wear clothes that can get messy.
Wednesday 9 December, 4pm to 7pm. An after-school session at Kampasi in Sale Moor: everyone paints a ceramic decoration to take home, with festive snacks and a few games.
Sunday 20 December, 1pm to 2pm. Bauble painting in the Kargo food hall at MediaCity, materials provided, with food from the traders in the hall.
More workshops, from wreaths to snow globes, are on our Christmas crafts page.
Skating that doesn’t mind the rain
Daily until 3 January except Christmas Day. A large covered rink beside the Christmas markets, with 45-minute sessions and skate hire included. Children skate free on Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm until 18 December, and there are Parent and Mini Skater sessions on weekday afternoons.
Tuesday 8 December, 1pm and 7pm. Planet Ice Altrincham’s Christmas show, with local Learn to Skate skaters and a professional cast. Sit in the stands or on the ice; no food or drink can be taken in, but the café is open.
For every indoor idea that isn’t about Christmas, from soft play to museums, see rainy day ideas.
Questions parents ask
What Christmas things can we do on a rainy day near Timperley?
The Trafford Centre is fifteen minutes away and has the HARIBO grotto from 20 November, SEA LIFE’s Elf on the Shelf trail and, from 4 December, the Snowstorm ice show. Closer to home, the Garrick panto starts on 4 December and Mr Popper’s Penguins is at Waterside in Sale from 5 December. Tatton’s mansion is dressed for Christmas on selected dates from 21 November.
Where can we see Santa indoors near Manchester?
The HARIBO grotto at the Trafford Centre is in a covered tent, the Science and Industry Museum has Father Christmas in the Power Hall, the Corn Exchange grotto keeps its queue indoors, and the Dunham Barn has private family slots. Every Santa visit we know of is on our Santa grottos page.
Are there free indoor Christmas things to do in Manchester?
Yes. The LEGO Giftmas workshop at the People’s History Museum (3 to 6 December) is free with no tickets, the museum’s winter makers market is free on 21 and 22 November, Manchester Museum’s Secret Santa Saturday is on 5 December (free ticket), and Central Library shows The Muppet Christmas Carol free on 12 December. Under-16s go free at Bramall Hall, dressed for Christmas from Wednesday to Sunday. More on our free Christmas page.
Is there anything indoors at Christmas for babies and toddlers?
Shiny Christmas at Z-arts is a 50-minute dance show made for ages 0 to 4, from 11 to 30 December. Quarry Bank’s play space on the top floor of the mill becomes Elf HQ from 2 December (free with admission, and under-5s get in free), and the mill has baby and toddler sessions with Father Christmas on 10, 11, 17 and 18 December. More on our Christmas with toddlers page.
Can we go ice skating if it rains?
Yes. Skate Manchester in Cathedral Gardens is a covered rink, open daily until 3 January except Christmas Day, and children skate free on Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm until 18 December. Planet Ice Altrincham is indoors, and its Christmas show, Jack and the Beanstalk on ice, is on Tuesday 8 December. Every rink is on our Christmas ice skating page.
Details change, so check with the organiser before you set off. Spotted something wrong, or know an event we've missed? Tell us.