PADDINGTON BEAR | Selfridges Trafford Centre | Sat 13 December 

Hot from the UK movie premiere, Paddington Bear will be visiting Selfridges Trafford on Saturday 13 December. The marmalade-loving movie star will be at the Selfridges ice-rink to receive his public between 9-11am before moving into the store to meet Christmas shoppers

Paddington Bear at Selfridges

Paddington Bear MoviePaddington Bear Movie

WHITE CHRISTMAS CONCERT | Bridgewater Hall | Sat 13 Dec 

Join vocalist Laura Tebbut and Tim Howard for a special Christmas concert. Alongside the Canzonetta Choir, the Manchester concert orchestra and conductor John Rigby, they intend to emerge audiences in the Christmas spirit covering songs from It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year to Frosty The Snowman.

Tickets here

WINTER WONDERLAND | Event City | Sat 13 Dec - Sun 4 Jan

Turf your kids out of the house during the Christmas break to enjoy the UK's largest Winter Wonderland as it arrives in Manchester this weekend. There will be rides and attractions galore where the family can have four hours of non-stop fun and entertainment. All rides and attractions are included in one amazing ticket price. Tickets to this event are limited and you're strongly advised to book tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Winter Wonderland tickets 

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PLAYTIME | Cornerhouse | Until 15 March

Before the city arts centre Cornerhouse jumps ship to the new £25m HOME (due to open in May 2015), this final exhibition bids farewell and pays homage to the building they've called home since 1985. To mark the occasion, nine artists present playful work inspired by Cornerhouse’s iconic brick structure and director Jacques Tati’s 1967 cult French comedy Playtime - which follows the adventures of Monsieur Hulot as he wanders, bemused, through a hi-tech and hyperbolised Paris.

Playtime

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XFM WINTER WONDERLAND | O2 Apollo | Mon 15 Dec | £34.95

A strong line up for this year's XFM Winter Wonderland 2014 sees Ben Howard, Wild Beasts, George Ezra, Hozier, Jimi Goodwin and Circa Waves take to the stage.

XFM Winter Wonderland tickets 

Ben HowardBen Howard

SUPERSIZED XMAS DRIVE-IN CINEMA | Manchester United Football Club | Fri 19 - 24 Dec

A supersized festive drive in offers the pick of Christmas classics without even getting out of your car – on the biggest LED screen ever seen in Manchester.
In the run up to Christmas, family favourites including ELF will be shown in high resolution on the state of the art screen at Old Trafford. The pop-up drive in – called Manchester Magical Drive In Movie Spectacular - will take up residence in the grounds of Manchester United Football Club for six days from 19 December with its finale on Christmas Eve.

Manchester Magical Drive-In tickets

Win tickets 

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INSPIRAL CARPETS | The Ritz | Fri 19 Dec | £22.50 

When Clint Boon isn't hosting his famous drive time radio show on XFM, he's in a little band called Inspiral Carpets. The popular 80s Psychedelic Oldham band are returning to the city for a special homecoming gig, giving fans a chance to recapture a bit of their youth.

Inspiral Carpets tickets

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RUSSELL HOWARD | Phones4U Arena | Sat 20 Dec 

Russell Howard, one of the UK's funniest and most successful comedians, returns to Manchester this Christmas. Following his sold-out February Manchester show, the award-winning comedian returns as he extends his Wonderbox UK tour due to phenomenal demand.

Russell Howard tickets

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ALADDIN | The Dancehouse | Sat 20 Dec - Sun 4 Jan

This year the Dancehouse Theatre’s Family Pantomime will take audiences on a magic-carpet ride to the mystic east with the Prince of Thieves, Aladdin. There'll be belly laughs, glitter, glamour and audience participation a plenty as we meet the Genie of the Lamp and clash swords with the evil Abanazer for the hand of the Princess. Featuring a multi-talented, all-singing, all-dancing cast (no wooden reality-TV stars here), it really is a treat for children of all ages - even the grown up ones.

Aladdin tickets 

UB40 | Manchester Academy | Sun 21 Dec

UB40 are Britain's greatest reggae artists and have survived more than 30 years in the music business clocking up more than 40 million record sales worldwide with songs like Kingston Town and Red, Red Wine.

UB40 tickets