Cultural Vibrancy at Christmas: Partner Activity this December

The Christmas season is gearing up and you can rely on our partners to make it culturally vibrant. Here’s a brief lowdown on what’s going on across our cities, so pull your thermal socks up and get ready for a warming assortment of festive joy…

In Birmingham, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre is staging The Snowman live for your viewing pleasure! This Christmas classic is sure to warm the hearts of kids and grown-ups alike so do go along if you’re in the area between 6th-9th Jan. And check out the rest of their website for their 2022 programme; it’s looking like a good one!

Peter Pan flies into Leeds this year as Leeds Playhouse present their production of Wendy & Peter Pan from 1st Dec - 22nd Jan. We all like to indulge our inner child at Christmas so what could be better than a story of everlasting childhood to get us in the spirit?

Liverpool will be rockin’ around the Christmas tree (and indeed the entire forest) with a special rock ‘n’ roll panto version of Robin Hood. With a mammoth run from 22nd Nov - 15th Jan, this innovative spin on a classic tale will be bringing all the tunes to town… and it’s subtitled ‘Tights in White Satin’. What’s not to love?

Meanwhile, in Manchester, we have a selection of festivities to choose from. HOME will be swapping mistletoe for mullets and showing Christmas films from the eighties - some of them might surprise you! The Lowry have a treat for the kids in the form of Little Penguin’s First Christmas from 18th-31st Dec, the Halle are staging their traditional Christmas concert for all the family, while the Royal Exchange will be providing a taste of history by celebrating the ancient festive tradition of wassail with a fayre featuring music, song and local traders.

Of course, we know that some of you may prefer not to go to theatres or cinemas right now, so if that’s the case why not think about some Christmas gifts from Manchester International Festival? Their recent exhibition Poet Slash Artist (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Lemn Sissay) brought together cultures, continents, languages and generations with work displayed at HOME and across the streets of Manchester, and now you can buy some of the limited edition prints from the show here.

We think there’s something for everyone right there, but our partners all have wide-ranging programmes of events over Christmas and also throughout the year. Their work in our cities is so valuable both for their significant contribution to local and national economies, and also for providing joy and hope in challenging times. It would be great for them to have your support!