Summer Half Term Round Up for families in Manchester and the NW UK

The holidays are almost upon us again and a lot of children in the Manchester and North West area now get 2 weeks off and a slightly shorter Summer, so you'll be pleased to know there are plenty of places you can go and things you can do - and I'll add to this post as emails come in!

Here's a round up and it's really eclectic this break, so there should be something for everyone! Never forget your local Museums and Libraries, and many parks and leisure centres will arrange special events!

Timber Festival - back in the Derbyshire Woodlands 5th-7th July 2019 (Press Visit)

Last Summer we had the most amazing time at the first ever Timber Festival and I'm delighted to say they've invited us back again this year to review. The setting is Feanedock, a gorgeous 70 acre woodland in the National Forest in Derbyshire, and the programme is absolutely packed with all kinds of theatre, music, dance, performance, arts, workshops, discussion and debate for adults and children aged around 5+.

Timber won Best New Festival at the UK Festival Awards and they were a worthy winner. My boys are now 9 and 10 and were ecstatic when they heard we would be returning this year - even when we told them we'd definitely want to go and see Stuart Maconie talk about rambling again.

Timber is the festival for hippies, eco-warriors, tree-huggers and laid back types of all ages. If you want to sit in beautiful, natural surroundings listening to live bands, talks and stories, watching theatre and joining in debate, it might just suit you too.

There is an eclectic mix of entertainment on offer at Timber and a hint of what you'll find is listed below. I'm particularly excited about Cardboardia myself... The photos are from 2018 and don't represent exactly what you'll find this year, but it'll give you a good idea...

Winter Wonderland 2017, Event City, Manchester Review

Winter Wonderland is back in Manchester until 1st January and it's gorgeous. We were invited over to review on Monday. The Wintery weather had us all in the mood already and when we went through the entrance there was snow indoors! And it was substantially warmer...and so Christmassy!!

There are shows and a circus, so it's worth checking out the times at the start of your 4 hour visit, otherwise you could miss your favourites. We caught Rainbow on the Main Stage. Winter Wonderland has a few seating areas, mainly towards the centre of the hall. You can always get a chair, even if you just want to rest your legs.

Winter Wonderland Returns to Manchester Event City 9th Dec -1st Jan

We reviewed Winter Wonderland last year and my boys had an excellent time. This is an all-inclusive event, where your children are entertained and happy and everything is included in the price you pay on the door, so you don't end up spending far more than you intended.

You can read my full review of Winter Wonderland 2016 here and we've now been this year and my  Winter Wonderland 2017 Manchester Review is here...

Winter Wonderland is the UK's largest indoor fun park and features more than 50 family rides and attractions under one roof. The 22.000sq metre event hall at Event City is transformed into world of light, sound and magic.

Disney On Ice presents Passport To Adventure, Manchester Arena Review

We were lucky enough to be invited to see Feld Productions Disney On Ice presents Passport To Adventure at Manchester Arena on Wednesday night. This show kicked off the Manchester run, which ends on Sunday 15th October.

It's safe to say we were all in good spirits and really excited about the show - especially seeing Peter Pan and of course the characters from Zootropolis! My children weren't in the mood for press photos, so we obliged.

The children were impressed by the Fit To Dance team and their boomerangs though - throwing and catching on skates is very skillful. I didn't see a single skater fall all night, it looked to be a near perfect performance.

Digital Kids Show, Event City, Manchester Review

The Digital Kids Show will return to Manchester's Event City this November 18-20th. Filled with all kinds of things that computer-obsessed youngsters love, we went last year and our boys had an awesome time.

This year the show is over 3 days and there is absolutely loads to do. Most of the programme will be the same each day, but some of the main stage acts and presentations will vary.

Everything in the giant Event City Hall and the show is especially suited to families with children of any age who would happily spend all day at a computer, whether playing, designing, editing, watching or learning, or all of those at once.

Santa's Polar Expedition Grotto at The Trafford Centre Review

Yesterday we went to Barton Square at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester, to visit this year's Christmas Santa's grotto. For 2016 the grotto has been turned into The Polar Expedition, and Santa is accompanied by lots of friendly Eskimo Elves.

My 6 and 8 year old boys are at the cusp of understanding, but are both firm friends with Santa this year at least...

We were a staggering 90 minutes late. My partner was called into work, so we ended up tight on time, but then the pre-lunchtime traffic was horrific, we were stuck in a jam for over an hour and our 8 year old was car sick. Christmas has started...

Thankfully it can be very beautiful...

PLAY Expo returns to Manchester at Event City 8/9 October (Ticket Giveaway)

The PLAY Expo is Europe's biggest gaming exhibition, and returns to the North of England on October 8th and 9th at Event City in Trafford Park.  This is their 5th year and we'll be there to review for the first time. We've always been busy and missed it before but, after reports from friends who went in 2015, it's been in the diary for months.

It's no secret that our whole family are gamers. Our children have all grown up watching just as much LEGO Star Wars and Tomb Raider as they have TV, and PLAY Expo is a great opportunity for us to show our 6 and 8 year old boys the kind of computer games we used to play - even though they're generally not very impressed with the graphics!

There will be absolutely masses to see and do, including:

Disney On Ice presents Frozen this October in Manchester.

This Autumn and Winter Feld Entertainment, Inc. is bringing 'Disney On Ice presents Frozen' to the UK. The Oscar-winning no.1 animated movie of all time will be brought to life on the ice in a brand new production for 2016, and the tour starts on October 13th to 16th at Manchester Arena.

The tour will continue across the UK until 30th December, after Manchester visiting Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Sheffield and London.

“In our more than 30 years of producing Disney On Ice shows, Feld Entertainment has been waiting for a film like this,” says producer Nicole Feld....and I think she might be right.

The Hut Summer Family Preview Event in Manchester

Today we drove into Manchester centre to visit the Artisan Bar And Kitchen where The Hut were previewing a few of their new items for Summer. It's a gorgeous day with no rain for once, so a trip into town was actually really pleasant, and we didn't even need coats. It was like being on holiday!

I like The Hut. They are an online department store who have some great bargains at times, and a really wide range of products. Several years ago I won a £250 voucher from their Facebook page just before Christmas. Everybody got extra that year.

Road Trip To London For The Talk To Mums Family Playtime

Last Saturday my 7 year old and I went on an adventure to London to go to the Talk To Mums Family Playtime. I had absolutely no idea what to expect because I haven't ever attended anything which offers sessions for bloggers as well as their children.

It was a very early start as we had to catch the 7.15am train from Manchester - I wasn't alone either, Red Rose Mummy (Pippa) and My Mummy's Pennies (Jen) were on the same train with their children - all equally excited and suffering the lack of coffee!