Not everyone is heading home for the holiday season – maybe you can’t get home during this festive break, or maybe you just don’t want to! Everyone’s situation is different and there’s no shame in that.

But fear not, for there’s plenty going on in and around Salford, so we’ve pulled together a list of some of the fun events taking place over Christmas and New Year for you to enjoy!

Skate Manchester

This stunning outdoor ice rink is in the heart of Manchester, right in Cathedral Gardens. There’s even a brand-new ice path allowing you to skate AROUND a beautiful Christmas tree – does it get more festive than that?

What’s more, the rink is even open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day! But It’s also open until 2nd January, so check it out here!

International Café

Over the Christmas period, International Café have some exciting plans to get involved with, such as…

On 21st December, there’s an outing to the Christmas Markets at Salford Quays. Here, students can head over to MediaCity and check out the festive stalls. You might even recognise some vendors from our own Winter Wonderland! If you’re interested in this, we’ll be meeting outside University House at 2:45pm before getting the free 50 bus together.

Then on 27th December, there’s going to be an online ice-breaker session, themed around self-reflection and new year optimism! You can click here to join the session.

Christmas at HOME

If you’re not going home, they why not go to HOME? And for this festive season, HOME have a December schedule packed with theatre, cinema and live events.

We’ve checked it out, and some of the highlights we’ve found were…

• Matilda
• Pinocchio
• Fanny and Alexander
• Casablanca

Check out their website for more details!

New Year’s Eve

For this part, there’s almost too many events going on for NYE in Greater Manchester!

For ticketed events, there’s plenty on skiddle to look through, but if you want our recommendations… -

• Escape to Freight Island – multiple DJ sets on throughout the night, with tickets for £8! 
• The Blues Kitchen – kick off 2023 to the sounds of classic soul and funk! Tables can also be reserved at no charge until 7pm.
• The Bread Shed – ‘Reggaeton’ promises to be a party that’ll keep you dancing until 3am, with tickets from £15.

We hope that's been helpful! And don't forget that for any issues or wellbeing emergencies over the Winter break, you can contact security via Safezone app.

As part of our ongoing support for our students and staff, we have a safety app called SafeZone that you can download to provide you with access to emergency assistance on-campus should you need it, including access to urgent assistance, first aid and to report emergency incidents and concerns. You can download it here.

We can't wait to see you in 2023!