It’s the final weekend before Christmas! There are lots of fun festive events for families to enjoy this Saturday and Sunday in Southport.
It’s the perfect place to do your Christmas shopping too – please shop local this Christmas, and support Southport’s superb local shops, restaurants, cafes and attractions.
Here are 10 fabulous Christmas inspired attractions that you and your family can enjoy in Southport:
1 – Ice Skating Southport
An ice skating rink is BACK in Southport this December!
The rink – with real ice – has been installed at Victoria Park in Southport to bring the magic of Christmas to families.
There are tickets available via the Ice Skating Southport website here.
Nearly 13,000 visitors enjoyed the popular attraction last year.
The rink is open between 4.45pm and 9pmTuesday to Friday, and 9.45am – 9pm each Saturday and Sunday (closed Mondays).
Then, things get really busy when the attraction is open 9.45am – 9pm from Tuesday 17th December until Monday, 30th December 2024 – including on Christmas Eve.
The site will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Ice Skating Southport has been brought to town for the third year in a row by North West Marquee Hire.
2 – Breakfast With Santa
Father Christmas and his team of elves are hosting the new Breakfast With Santa mornings at Silcock’s Pier Family Restaurant on the Promenade in Southport.
They are running the final ones this weekend in the run-up to Christmas.
The mornings include a delicious breakfast; a festive gift; a visit from Father Christmas and his elves; and even a ride on the iconic Silcock’s Carousel.
Excited children will be able to enjoy a festive morning at Silcock’s Pier Family Restaurant on December 2024: 21st & 22nd December from 10:30am.
You can either book online https://www.silcock-leisure.co.uk/breakfast-with-santa/ or you can also call in and get your tickets.
Tickets cost £10 (plus booking free) per child.
3. Festive Afternoon Tea at The Grand
People are invited to celebrate the Christmas season in style as they enjoy festive afternoon tea at The Grand in Southport.
The stylish venue on Lord Street is now serving a mouth-watering combination of seasonal treats in The Grand Brasserie.
Sandwiches, scones and sweets are specially hand-crafted to order by Director of Food Colin Gannon, Group Head Chef Callum King and their team of top chefs. It is a stunning menu.
Diners can enjoy:
- Scones: Cranberry and orange homemade scones, accompanied by Cornish clotted cream with strawberry and pepper preserve
- Sandwiches: Roast turkey with cranberry sauce; Maple glazed ham with tomato chutney; Smoked salmon, cucumber and crème fraiche; Free range egg and cress; Pork and apricot sausage roll
- Sweets: Raspberry Bakewell tart; Apple cinnamon crumble tart; Chocolate and hazelnut delice; Lemon and poppy seed cake.
The Festive Afternoon Teas are available seven days a week from now until 31st December 2023 (excluding Christmas Day).
Book here: www.thegrand.co.uk
4 – Santa’s Grotto
See Father Christmas at Wayfarers Shopping Arcade on Lord Street in Southport.
Families can also enjoy calling into Wayfarers Shopping Arcade to see Santa Claus and his lovely Mrs Claus as they prepare to welcome you into their enchanting grotto.
No reservations needed – just pop in whenever your holiday spirit calls you.
For £10 per child, your little ones will receive a premium gift and memories to treasure forever. The Christmas tree and festive decorations are now in place inside the Grade II Listed Wayfarers Shopping Arcade, a beautiful sight at this time of year, and a great backdrop for pictures.
Santa’s Grotto will be at Wayfarers Shopping Arcade every weekend until Christmas. Special guests like the ever-playful Elves, and the enchanting sisters, Queen Elsa and Anna, will also be joining the festive fun, courtesy of Gambolling Arena from 10am – 4pm.
on the following dates:
Sat 21st Dec
Sun 22nd Dec
Tues 24th Dec
People can also pick up Christmas gift ideas at the Memory Lane Craft & Gift Fair which takes place this weekend.
5 – Southport Christmas Tree
Enjoy the magical colour changing Christmas tree in Southport’s Town Hall Gardens, provided by Southport BID.
It’s a lovely place to take children to enjoy, and a perfect backdrop for pictures.
Enjoy the festive songs, and head into Crave Pizza or The Pavilion for a bite to eat while watching the lights.
You can also see the illuminated Bear next to The Bandstand and The Reindeer next to the Mermaid Fountain.
They all add to the 300,000 lights which the BID has strung along both sides of the iconic
Lord Street boulevard, making town centre streets really shine during the festive season.
6 – Gingerbread Trail
Families can enjoy exploring Southport through the The Gingerbread Family Trail.
Visitors can explore the town centre, searching in the windows of businesses for the colourful characters.
The Trail makes for a great day out in the town centre and there are great prizes to be won too!
Using a Trail map to navigate, discover the characters one by one and make a note of each of their names. Once all ten are discovered, maps can be posted to Santa’s Letterbox in Marble Place, or handed in at The Atkinson Library.
One lucky winner will be drawn at random and will receive a Nintendo Switch with games from GAME Southport.
This year, the names of the Gingerbread Family are being chosen by the pupils of Marshside Primary School.
There’s more fun to be had at two Selfie Zones, where you can pose for pictures with Gingerbread props.
Silcock’s Pier Family Restaurant on the Promenade will be home to the Gingerbread Sleigh, and the Gingerbread Throne can be found Over The Moon Kids Boutique & Shoe Studio on Union Street.
The Selfie Zones also offer trail-goers a second chance to win, and those who enter pictures at www.southportbid.com/gingerbread-trail could be in with the chance of winning the bonus prize of £100 voucher for The Entertainer Southport.
Digital maps can be downloaded here. Printed maps can be picked up from The Atkinson, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsburys, as well as all participating venues from 23rd November 2024.
The Gingerbread Trail runs from Saturday 23rd November 2024 until Sunday 5th January 2025.
7 – Santa visits at Southport Market
Throughout December Santa will be visiting Southport Market accompanied by one of his helpful Elves to bring some festive cheer.
Bring along your letters to Santa to post them in our magical post box!.
Santa will be visiting Southport Market Hall from 1-3pm and the event is completely ree of charge.
Santa Visits Southport Market on the following dates:
Sunday 22nd December
Monday 23rd December
There’s also lots to keep the children entertained with free Magical Movies to see you through the holiday season, ranging from Elf to Mary Poppins.
Get groovy at Party Nights with performances of popular Christmas songs from live singers and bands on 21st December. And let out your creative side with Christmas candle painting on the 20th December.
To stay up to date visit www.southportmarket.com
8 – Oh yes it is! Enjoy a panto extravaganza
This year’s Christmas pantomime at The Atkinson is a spellbinding performance of Sleeping Beauty, starring Blue Peter presenter, magician and TikTok sensation, Joel M. Families can enjoy the Christmas adventure between 6th November and 31st December. Ticket prices vary. To book: https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/sleeping-beauty-panto/
The Snow White pantomime at Southport Dramatic Club will run between 21st December and 5th January https://littletheatresouthport.co.uk/
The Christmas Wish pantomime will be on at The Fool on West Street between the 7th and 31st December https://www.thefoolsouthport.co.uk/
9 – Bijou Cinema
Southport’s very own independent cinema has unveiled this year’s Christmas lineup.
Bijou Cinema, on Post Office Avenue in Southport, is run by a group of friends who love films.
As they are independent, they have free reign over what films they show. They can screen
anything from old classics to new films.
They said: “From The Holiday to The Muppets… The Shop Around the Corner to the Bishop’s Wife… there is something for everybody coming up in December.
“The Bijou Christmas Schedule 2024 is full of movies for the young and old and everyone in
between… a range of movies you will have seen, may have always wanted to see… and hopefully some surprises too!
“Please note… any Sold Out screenings will lead to more showings being added, so don’t hesitate to book!”
Each film begins at either 12pm, 2:30pm or 7:30pm, with no trailers. The bar sells drinks and
snacks one hour before a screening.
Visit: southportbijoucinema.co.uk
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