What’s on for kids in Manchester this Christmas

Manchester’s AO Arena is catering to youngsters this Christmas. Disney on Ice is on from 10 – 14 December and there’s a Wicked Wizard of Oz Cirque Spectacular on 23 December. If you’re planning on livening up 2026, it kicks off with Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live on 3 – 4 January.

It’s the European premiere of Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show at Aviva Studios. Alongside this spectacle of dance, drama, wit and wonder there is also a free sculpture trail. Find the six ewe-nique models grazing between Aviva Studios and John Rylands Library. You can pick up a trail map from either venue and there’s even a joke at each sculpture. Laughing sheepishly is encouraged.

Christmas concerts are a lovely part of the festive experience. The Bridgewater Hall offers traditional carols as well as special screenings of The Snowman and Shaun the Sheep accompanied by the Hallé. There will also be a screening of Home Alone with a live orchestra.

The Trafford Centre’s Christmas offering includes a festive fairground lighting up the winter nights, an ice rink set under shimmering lights, a big wheel, a grotto and a circus.

Cockfield Farm Park’s festive plans include a Grinch meet and greet, breakfast with Santa, an elf village and a chance to meet real reindeer.

This year’s panto at Contact Theatre is Rumpelstiltskin from The Big Tiny. The theatre company puts on riotous good-time performances but without the emphasis on big names.

Tickets are on sale for East Lancashire Railway’s Santa Specials. Bury Bolton Street Station is decked with a talking Christmas tree and singing polar bears. Board a steam train to Rawtenstall and back on an 80-minute round trip. Santa will visit every carriage on the journey bringing gifts and goodwill.

Freight Island becomes Winter Island in its annual seasonal glow-up. Don’t miss the twinkling lights of Twilight Tales, the North Pole Playground and the unbeatable festive atmosphere.

Northern Lights’ illuminated trail takes over Heaton Park until 31 December. Enjoy a mile-long stroll with a few stops for hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Jodrell Bank is making the most of the shorter days during the Christmas holidays. There are evening stargazing sessions, a space dome show where you see the skies from Santa’s perspective as he flies around the world, and a special puppet show.

Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester is running a Holiday Bricktacular until 30 December. Construct and decorate your own Lego gingerbread, build a Lego snowflake, take part in a scavenger hunt and spin the advent wheel to win a prize.

Lyme Park’s Animal Crackers returns to the National Trust property for a third year, running until 24 December. Join Fox and friends as this self-guided Christmas tour takes over the house.

You don’t have to walk far in Manchester city centre to find one of the many Christmas markets that pop-up in November and December.

Manchester Museum’s triceratops exhibition ends in February so the Christmas holidays are a good time to catch it if you haven’t already. It’s a hands-on family display and perfect for dinky dino experts. After all, it’s three times better than a unicorn.

Book a festive cruise with Santa swapping his sleigh for the Ship Canal. Every seasonal sailor gets a gift and sensory adapted cruises are also available if you need something quieter.

From festive films to animated movies to keep kids enthralled, a trip to the cinema is a big part of the holidays. ODEON Manchester Trafford Centre is a good bet for re-runs of seasonal classics like Elf and Die Hard.

Ordsall Hall’s free winter festival returns on Sunday 14 December. Expect family craft activities, a choir and maybe even a visit from Santa.

If you’re thinking of ways to entertain the kids this holiday, Oxygen has a festive holiday pass with five one-hour sessions for £30 as well as a Snow Ball on Friday 19 December from 6pm – 8pm.

You may know this venue best as Altrincham Ice Dome but it’s now run by Planet Ice and offers relaxed skating sessions as well as ice skating and ice hockey classes for children and adults. So if you’ve ever felt inspired by Dancing On Ice, now’s the time to don your skates and bust out a double salchow. Perhaps.

Quarry Bank Mill has an Enchanted Winter Walk but tickets are selling fast. The fourth floor has also been transformed into a festive play space. Entry charges apply but the children’s area is free to members.

Glow at RHS Bridgewater returns for 2025 with a new installation in its walled garden. Winter landscapes shimmer with lights and seasonal soundscapes until 30 December.

The Science and Industry Museum’s free holiday programme includes a chance to learn the science of shadows. Draw faces in the illumination station and experiment with colourful projections against a shadow skyline. Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery has just re-opened so you can swap toy trains and model railways for the real thing. The Christmas holidays are also your last chance to catch the interactive exhibition Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You.

Skate Manchester in Cathedral Gardens will have you skating around its twinkly ice rink like you’re the main character on an advent calendar. This year the traditional Christmas tree in the centre has been replaced by a 15-metre wind turbine (it’s more festive than it sounds).

With 180m of downhill skiing and snowboarding, The Snow Centre is the UK’s longest indoor real snow slope. And though you can’t compare it to the glistening slopes of Chamonix, it offers enough action to make a day trip there a must for anyone interested in snowsports (or just larking about on a sledge).

Celebrate the end of school with a School’s Out silent family disco at Stockroom on Friday 19 December. There’s also a sing-a-long screening of The Muppet’s Christmas Carol on Saturday 20 December.

Z-arts is known for its warm and inclusive environment for young families. Its Christmas performance, A Snowy Day, is pitched at pre-schoolers enjoying their first theatre trip. It’s only half an hour long and is followed up by a stay and play session where little ones can experience the sensory strangeness of fluffy snowballs.