Manchester’s new creative district, St. John’s, has opened its Christmas offering for the 2024 festive season, called Winter Assembly – and in keeping with its newest offering Courts Club, it’s promising activities aplenty. The bougie tennis and basketball destination has undergone a winter wonderland makeover from today (November 8), with its courts transforming into the city’s newest, fully independent ice rink, from On Ice who previously operated the Spinningfields ice rink.
The rink is offers “a premium alternative” to other festive rinks, with food and drink operators slinging festive food including winter gyros from Lucky Gyros, festive grilled cheeses, boozy hot chocolate, German BBQ specials and more.
Named Winter Assembly, the festive bash also boasts a handful of ‘Chalaoke’ huts – revamped log cabins decked out with karaoke machines and cosy blankets, bookable for groups of up to 10 to sing their hearts out in. In addition, there’ll be festive film screenings of the best Christmas classics (think Love Actually and Home Alone, to name a few), alongside open fires to roast marshmallows on, and giant Christmas trees complete with gorgeous twinkling lights.
The creators are also welcoming members of the public to peek into The Dome: a Winter Oasis in Spinningfields previously only accessed by those ‘in the know’. From November 22, the breathtaking rooftop space will transform into a dazzling Christmas dreamscape, dressed to make guests feel as though they’re inside a giant snow globe – bookings will soon to go live for weekend events at this Instagrammable rooftop location.
The Dome will also be available to book out for up to 200 guests, providing the perfect dreamlike setting for festive parties; with a full bar ready to serve up party season drinks and seasonal food available. For more information and bespoke private hire quotes, enquire through The Dome’s website.
You can also dance the night (or day) away in true festive style in the heart of Spinningfields, with the return of The Lawn Club’s magical Festive Yurt, the ultimate winter wonderland for any seasonal celebration. From November 11, the heated Yurt will serve all the best Christmas vibes with cosy sheepskin blankets, non-stop partying, DJs spinning the best party anthems and a stunning Christmas centrepiece – with a cascading arrangement of decorations – giving guests plenty of room to dance the night away.
Decked top-to-toe with twinkling lights, guests will feel like the snow is falling (all around them), whilst enjoying all the festive eats, boozy hot chocolates and winter-warming cocktails curated with Bankhall Whisky. On Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm, the party will run until the small hours, with DJs spinning party classics and Christmas corkers, perfect for guests to rock around the Christmas Tree.
And if that wasn’t enough of a reason to make merry at The Lawn Club, the venue will also be hosting an exclusive version of its bottomless brunch starting from November 10, jam-packed with festive dishes and drinks. The Lawn Club’s warm and welcoming hideout will also be available to book out for larger groups and private parties – making for the Christmas do of dreams.
St John’s Winter Assembly will be free to enter, with all information available on programming available through their website; with Courts Club’s ice rink now open.