When to book family days out near Manchester

In October, book Santa visits, panto tickets, light trail tickets, Santa specials, Christmas show tickets, skating sessions and summer event tickets. See the month-by-month calendar below.

Santa visits near Manchester usually go on sale between March and October. The big ticketed experience, LaplandUK Manchester, sells its whole season on release day at the end of March, within hours. Farm and estate grottos with short time slots (Tatton's Father Christmas at the Farm) end up sold out on every date, and shopping-centre grottos are on sale by early October and described as selling fast from the start. For a good choice of dates, book by 1 October: the Trafford Centre grotto was already selling fast on 2 Oct and the small farm grottos fill every slot; LaplandUK needs booking on its late-March release day. More on santa's grottos.

Panto tickets near Manchester usually go on sale in early January. Big pantos put next year's show on sale during or just after this year's run: Stockport Plaza on its opening day in early December, Buxton mid-December, Storyhouse and Manchester's Opera House in January or February, the Everyman by February. Long runs rarely sell out completely; what goes first is particular performances, and the Everyman had sold-out shows within a week of opening. Smaller theatres like the Garrick were bookable by the summer. For a good choice of dates, book by 30 September: the big pantos have been on sale for 8 to 12 months by then and particular performances start to go, so families wanting a weekend or the week before Christmas should book by the end of September. More on pantomimes.

Light trail tickets near Manchester usually go on sale in late July. The big trails go on sale in late spring or summer: Chester Zoo by mid-May, Northern Lights in early June, Dunham Massey by late May to July, RHS Glow in August, Knowsley by early September. None of the sources dates a full sell-out; what goes first is weekend and early-evening slots in December, and Dunham Massey added extra dates in late November 2022 because of demand. For a good choice of dates, book by 31 October: every big trail is on sale by September and the organisers warn that December weekend and early-evening slots go first; November weekdays stay available much longer. More on christmas light trails.

Santa specials near Manchester usually go on sale between March and September, and in past years were typically on sale by early October. Heritage railways used to open Santa bookings in September or October, but both big local lines moved to March for 2026 after strong demand; Llangollen says every 2025 Santa Special sold out. Weekend and Christmas Eve trains are the ones that fill. For a good choice of dates, book by 30 September: both railways now open in spring and Llangollen sold out every 2025 Santa train after a September release. More on santa trains and boats.

Christmas show tickets near Manchester usually go on sale between February and May. Christmas shows at Manchester's producing theatres go on sale 6 to 15 months ahead: at a spring season launch (Octagon, Royal Exchange, Hallé, HOME in 2024), or straight after the previous Christmas (HOME, Lowry, Hope Mill in December or January). Big theatre runs rarely sell out completely. The first to go are the cheapest seats and the preview and midweek matinee dates, and the lowest price rises as a run sells. Short runs sell out: the Hallé's three carol concerts sold out in 2024, and one of three did in 2025. For a good choice of dates, book by 30 September: the cheapest seats and the popular matinees were already going by mid-September (Royal Exchange 2025), and the short-run carol concerts fill well before December. More on christmas shows and concerts.

Skating sessions near Manchester usually go on sale between August and October, and in past years were typically on sale by mid-September. Seasonal rinks open booking in late summer or autumn with early-bird prices, and sessions run daily for weeks, so whole-season sell-outs are not reported. School-holiday and weekend afternoon sessions are the busiest. For a good choice of dates, book by 30 November: rinks run daily from late October or November and early-bird prices are the main reason to book early; Christmas-holiday sessions are the ones to secure. More on christmas ice rinks.