Jacqueline from www.whatsonni.com shares her pick of festive family events taking place this weekend across the North from Panto to Santa and Christmas markets!
Down
The opening gala night of Jack and the Beanstalk in support of the Doghouse Sanctuary is this Saturday 8th December. Starring local celebrity and comedienne Victoria E Armstrong as Baron Bigwig, Nadia McConviile at Jack, Jonny Conaghan as Dame Trott, Philip Patton as Simon and Niamh McManus as Jill. Music to get you singing along! Comedy and old fashioned romance! Dancing from the new dance troupe! Custard pies, a singing cow and a GIANT of a giant. All will be revealed this December in E2A’s Panto Tickets only £5.00 each, making this the best value in town.
Tyrone
Ava Antiques, Vintage and Art Fair returns to the Glenavon House Hotel Cookstown this Sunday 9th December in time for all your Christmas shopping. If it is shopping with a difference you are looking for then look no further. The exhibition space is transformed into a cave of hidden treasures waiting to be found by avid antique market goers looking for a bargain or two.
Fermanagh
Visit Castle Coole with the children this December and enjoy the festivities. Castle Coole will be home to Santa and Mrs Claus from 8-18th December as they busily prepare for Christmas. They will be welcoming children into their magical Christmas home – the perfect way to get into the festive spirit. Travel from Enniskillen to the North Pole through the magical basement tunnel, meet Mrs Claus and see the elves’ playroom, enjoy a story and a chat with Santa and receive a special gift. Booking is essential – entry is by half hour sessions.
Derry
Santa’s elves have been busy creating a magical Christmas Wonderland at The Jungle Moneymore every Saturday and Sunday until 22nd December. On-Target Taster Jungle activities, elf-tastic arts and crafts, festive face-painting, woodland petting farm, cracking Christmas food and drink and locally sourced gifts and produce are all part of the experience. Of course, no Christmas Wonderland is complete without Santa who will be at The Jungle to meet and greet your little ones, present them with a fabulous gift and pose for the photograph that happy family memories are made of!
Armagh
Journey back 2000 years at the Armagh Planetarium to Bethlehem, and seek to discover a scientific explanation for the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus in “Mystery of the Christmas Star”. The star of Bethlehem is an iconic astronomical event whose true origin remains unknown even today, in spite of years of speculation and investigation. The show will guide the viewer through some of these investigations and the most likely causes of this interesting cosmological object which was remarkable enough to make the wise men travel across the desert from Babylon to Bethlehem to see the newborn baby King. We will also explore possible dates for the birth of Christ and look at the historical records of significant astronomical events which occurred at this time. This modern retelling of the Christmas story in our digital theatre will charm and captivate audiences of all ages.
Antrim
Soak up the atmosphere at The Lisburn Christmas Market 6th to 8th December, this year situated at the handy and central Graham Gardens. Now an established festive favourite in Lisburn, the market is host to a wide range of traditional, handcrafted and unique products, speciality hot foods and coffee shop. With outdoor stalls, an indoor market in the Kingdom Life Centre and featuring this year for the first time, the Chill Out Tepee, the Market will also feature daily workshops, demonstrations and lunchtime acoustic music in this new Chill Out Zone. On Thursday and Friday a crèche will be on offer for pre-school age kids in the mornings and primary school kids in the afternoon and there’ll be lots of activities for the kids all day Saturday 8th.