As the countdown to the festive season begins, Belfast’s 5* Merchant Hotel has Christmas all wrapped up.

The Merchant’s iconic Christmas tree, now standing tall in all its festive finery amidst the splendour of The Great Room Restaurant, is already drawing crowds. The impressive 25ft tree, which took over six hours to erect, has been inspired by the classic nativity scene with a midnight blue and gold colour scheme and has been embellished with 150 metres of fairy lights and over 300 baubles.
Rachael Lindsay from Blue Moon Design, who developed the theme for this year’s tree, said; “The inspiration for The Merchant’s Christmas décor goes right back to the classic nativity scene.  I based it on the skies above Bethlehem with midnight blue and gold used as the main colours.  Enhanced by the idea of the treasure from the three kings, the look is quite rich with traces of the exotic east and lots of jewels.

“Some details of the décor that you might see throughout the hotel, and on the spectacular tree in The Great Room, include golden palm trees, star bursts, jewelled pineapples, peacock feather baubles, oversized filigree baubles and golden orbs.”

Right across the hotel, The Merchant’s luxurious Christmas celebrations have kicked off with a superb selection of seasonal activities to share with loved ones this year, including festive menus, winter drinks, and pampering spa treatments for the party season.

From Friday 1^st December, guests can enjoy a special festive afternoon tea in the elegance of The Great Room.  Served on a three-tiered silver stand, this year’s festive tea will include turkey, chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce finger sandwiches, traditional Christmas cake and seasonal macarons, alongside scones with clotted cream and delicious patisseries and live music from 12.30pm to 4.20pm daily throughout December.

For those searching for a Christmas gift that will make a big impression without breaking the bank, The Merchant has an array of gifts and experiences to suit a range of budgets. In addition to the hotel’s popular gift cards, for the first time, a range of exclusive Merchant experiences are now available to purchase as online e-vouchers, taking the hassle out of Christmas shopping.  The experiences include luxurious overnight stays, spa treatments and a nine-course tasting menu with wine pairings.

For savvy shoppers looking to grab a little luxury for less, The Merchant’s winter sale is now on, with an array of irresistible offers for the New Year, including dinner, bed and breakfast overnight packages from £99 per person sharing, to treat yourself or your loved one.

To find out more or to book your Merchant Christmas experience or to purchase gifts, visit www.themerchanthotel.com

‘The Little Snow Globe’, located in the Diamond, is an exciting addition to the town’s Christmas countdown.

Young people aged from 5 – 11 will have the opportunity to make their own special Christmas decorations at the Winter Wonderland themed workshops ran by Lorna Kyle from local craft company Just Jemima. 

The initiative has been organised by Coleraine Town Team, with support from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

Town Team Chairperson Ian Donaghey: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Council and Just Jemima to spread a little bit of Christmas magic in Coleraine. The workshops are already proving popular, and I would encourage people to make their bookings well in advance to ensure they don’t miss out.”

‘The Little Snow Globe’ will be open on four consecutive Saturdays beginning this weekend on November 25^th until December 16^th with a different theme every week.

A new class will begin on the hour every hour and last for 45minutes. Bookings can be made online at www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/Christmas where you will also find full details and information about special drop in sessions.

On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December Market Square, Antrim will be filled with Christmas spirit.

An artisan food, drink and craft market is taking place from 12noon to 10pm on Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday. The free family event is being organised by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and everyone is welcome.

Antrim’s Market in the Square is back with some festive fever. A little bit of the North Pole will be coming to the historical Barbican gate and Toby Pine Cone is hoping to see you all.  There will be plenty of artisan food and craft stalls, so come down to pick up that last minute gift before Christmas. Top of the Town will be at the bottom of the town with live music and tribute acts.  Bring the whole family along for a great festive weekend.

Free car parking will be available for this event at Central Car Park. Parking is also available at Railway Street and Castle Street, however charges will apply. For more information about the event please contact Karen Uprichard on 028 9446 3113 ext 31344 or visit www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/christmas

In every woman’s wardrobe, the little black dress is a fashion icon. From Queen Victoria to Audrey Hepburn, the LBD has been a fashion staple for women through the ages.

North Down Museum’s Little Black Dress exhibition is opening on 29 November and will explore this fashion favourite and how it has evolved through history.

Come along and see a variety of shapes and styles from the decades of the 20^th century from flappers to mini-dresses alongside pieces on loan from local women as well as Down County Museum.

On display will be a dress that belonged to Emily Ann Rebeck from Kildare who died in 1914. The gorgeous black velvet Edwardian evening gown is fully-lined, fastens at the front with hooks and eyes and has a train at the back.

Earlier in the year, the Museum made a call to women across Ards and North Down to lend their own little black dresses.  There was a fantastic response and the exhibition includes these local garments, each with their own story attached.

Speaking about the exhibition, North Down Museum’s Manager Heather McGuicken said: “This is a fun exhibition just in time to get you ready for the Christmas party season!  We have dresses from across the decades showing the rise of the little black dress from an item worn for mourning purposes only to the staple item that every woman has in her wardrobe’.

The Little Black Dress Exhibition opens on 29 November and runs until 18 March – admission is free. For more information visit www.northdownmuseum.com

Holywood, Co. Down, is set to switch on its Christmas lights this Saturday (25 November 2017).

Visitors to the town can look forward to a festive sing-a-long led by Christmas characters before the official switch on by the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Robert Adair, at 4.30pm.  Santa may also be spotted on his sleigh as he makes his way through Holywood town centre!

The switch on is organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council.

An additional programme of festive activities arranged by Holywood District Community will take place in Holywood Library from 12noon until 3.30pm.  The programme will include floral art demonstrations, a children’s magic show and Christmas crafts for all the family.

While the town’s renowned speciality boutiques are the perfect place to find Christmas gift inspiration.

For more information on Christmas festivities in Ards and North Down, located right on Belfast’s Doorstep: visitardsandnorthdown.com

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh has just released its new Spring | Summer 2018 programme packed full of the best in entertainment including shows, workshops and exhibitions to keep audiences flooding back time and again. If you’re stuck for the perfect Christmas gift, then why not give the gift of entertainment this year!

January will see The Rock ’N ’Roll Years and Dance Hall Days show back with a brand new show featuring George Jones, Clubsound and four wonderful singers. The show will transport you back to the nostalgic days and incredible music and artistes of 50’s and 60’s, with over forty classic songs. Combining evocative love ballads with the greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll hit songs of the era, this show will carry the audience back to a time when dance halls were full and the youngsters danced, jived and rocked to The Four Seasons, The Shadows, Neil Sedaka, Dean Martin, Patsy Cline, Elvis and many, many more!

For more musical enjoyment, Shane Nolan & The Four Seasons star in ‘Oh What A Night – Jersey Guys’. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons ultimate homage show celebrates their greatest hits including ‘Oh What A Night’, ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘Bye Bye Baby’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Let’s Hang On’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’…and many more! This celebration features fantastic vocals, harmonies, dance routines and stars of The West End and leading UK theatre tours.

Jake O’Kane, Northern Ireland’s top comic and star of the BBC panel show ‘The Blame Game’, is back in February with a brand new show. Jake will be casting a satirical eye over the preceding twelve months, combining stories and pictures from The Irish News with the madness of the internet to debunk the great, the not so great, and himself. From Jake feeding his voter registration card to a goat, Martina Anderson having a fit at the European Assembly, or the never-ending RHI scandal, Jake mixes hard news with harder comedy to guarantee a night to remember.

The Ulster Orchestra will be coming right to your doorstep in February with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, a giant amongst concertos. The Ulster Orchestra is delighted to bring international star Sergey Khachatryan to perform this piece. Renowned as one of the great modern interpreters of this concerto, Khachatryan’s performance will be spell-binding. To open the concert, Ulster Orchestra Music Director Rafael Payare will conduct Brahms’s richly romantic Third Symphony.

Younger audiences will be delighted with ‘Gruff’, the much loved fairy-tale brought to life with a pinch of Banyan magic. As part of the Family Super Saturday series, ‘Gruff’ will include an hour of fun activities including themed craft workshops, face painting, balloon modelling and fancy dress competition.

April will see the staging of ‘We’ll Walk Hand In Hand’, a new play by Martin Lynch marking the 50^th anniversary of the Northern Ireland civil rights struggle. The play charts the story of Vincent and Louise, two young working class kids from Woodvale and the Lower Falls who start Queen’s University on the very day the shocking television images come through of the assassination of Martin Luther King. Becoming embroiled in the heady world of student politics, whilst back home their families see civil rights very differently, Vincent and Louise are confronted with decisions that will mark their lives forever.

Then it’s time for the return of ‘It’s Wine O’Clock’, telling the story of the most whacky and wonderful wedding of the year. South Armagh farmer’s wife, Vera, is thrilled that her son, Seamus, is getting hitched. But – surprise, surprise – not everything is going to plan. A riotous rabble of larger-than-life [yet strangely familiar] characters will be joining Seamus and his blushing bride for a shindig that’s slosh-a-block with champagne and slippery with slap-and-tickle shenanigans. Meanwhile, ‘Keep ‘er Lit’, Ireland’s greatest wedding band [in their own minds, at least] have arrived to provide a tune or two on the dancefloor.

For details of all events can be found online at www.marketplacearmagh.com, and tickets for can be booked by contacting the Box Office on [028] 3752 1821.

And to keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.

Head to Newtownards, Co. Down, on Friday 24 November (2017) for a Christmas light switch on that is sure to mesmerize.

The town will be immersed in rhythm and colour when Spark! leads the popular, annual lantern parade bringing high impact drumming, stunning costumes and fantastic lighting to Ards, and culminating in a spectacular stage finale.

Prior to this, visitors can enjoy a stage programme from 6pm, compered by local favourite, Cool FM’s Pete Snodden, and featuring winners from the recent ‘Web’s Got Talent’ competition.

Face painting and balloon modelling will also keep the ‘little ones’ entertained while waiting for the festivities to begin, starting in Conway Square at 5pm.

The official switch on by Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Robert Adair, takes place at 7pm.

The event is organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council.

For more information on Christmas festivities in Ards and North Down, located right on Belfast’s Doorstep: visitardsandnorthdown.com