Down

Local charity, FASA is bringing back their outdoor Christmas Market on 18th -19th December to Eden Village, Ballywalter. Up to 30 stalls festively decorated with fairy lights and tinsel will add some extra sparkle to Ballywalter for the 3rd year bringing a little bit of Christmas to your doorstep!  Stalls will include delicious sweets and treats, to stocking fillers, local art and handmade crafts and culinary delights and their very own Santa’s Grotto!

Armagh

Celebrate Christmas with a visit to the beautiful Craftswirl this Saturday 19th December, at Armagh Visitor Information Centre. The gift shop has crafts and gifts to suit all tastes and budgets and for the festive period.  Enjoy some festive fayre and savour the tastes of Christmas through the ages.  Step into the world of crafts and gifts while taking a step back to a taste of 1940’s Christmas. Customers can sample the famous Hersey’s chocolate as they shop.

Fermanagh

See Flash Harry live at the Ardhowen Theatre Enniskillen this Saturday 19th December.  Flash Harry have been celebrating the music of Queen all over Ireland and the UK for more than 20 years and still fans come to pay homage to the greatest rock band of them all. Flash Harry brings a show that embraces the very essence of live music, talent, energy, enthusiasm, passion and pure showmanship. Audiences will see the band rocking out Queen’s greatest hits from ‘Radio Gaga’, ‘We Are the Champions’, to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and everything in between.

Tyrone

Join the Silverbirch Hotel Omagh this Christmas for a festive celebration for the whole family, with a Santa Sunday Lunch. Children will be thoroughly entertained with the Kids Christmas Party, face painting, disco and entertainer.  A visit from Father Christmas will be the perfect start to your festive season. Sunday 20th December 12.30pm – 3pm.  Kid’s Christmas Party: 2.00pm – 4.00pm.

Derry

Support local independent businesses, or individuals that have turned a hobby into an enterprise this Saturday by visiting the fabulous local  artisan art, craft and food producers at the Naturally North Coast & Glens Artisan Christmas Market ran in conjunction with the Limavady Crafters in Limavady at the Drumceatt Square.  Saturday the 19th of December from 11.00am – 4.00pm.

Antrim

Join Braid Film Theatre Ballymena for a very special sing-a-long screening of The Sound of Music this Saturday 19th December. The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film follows a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun in Salzburg in 1938 who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children.  Tickets are only £4.

Belfast

Join The Mac this Christmas as they bring a little mischievous magic to the stage in their adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin – the classic Brothers Grimm tale with a typical, mystical MAC twist. Meet Emily, the heroine – brave, beautiful, witty, and smart. Be outraged by her father and the King who contrive an unusual and infamous bargain, and encounter the strange little man who can do the impossible… at a price.  Family Christmas shows are becoming something of a tradition – live music, fun and spectacular action. Suitable for all ages, why not treat the whole family to Christmas at the MAC?  Each child is different but we think those aged 5+ will get the biggest kick.

Add your events free at www.whatsonni.com. Follow us on twitter @whatsonNI and on facebook at fb.com/www.whatsonni.com for news, competitions and what’s on near you.

Panto season is well under way at the North West’s premier venue and if you haven’t yet booked your ticket to the biggest show of the year, then you’d better be quick, as the Millennium Forum has just revealed that tickets for Aladdin are flying!

Since opening on Friday 4^th December, over 20,000 children of all ages have screamed, booed, hissed, sang and cheered along to the latest festive offering from the cityside theatre. Schools from as far away as Fermanagh, Leitrim, Omagh, Ballyshannon and Arranmore Island have also made the journey to the city for the annual Christmas show.

Box Office Manager, Lisa Heaney, said that bookings for panto have been very busy in the run up to Christmas:

“Tickets have been selling fast for Aladdin and it’s no surprise; it’s a spectacular production again this year and has something for all the family to enjoy. I would strongly advise anyone who hasn’t yet booked their tickets to do so before they sell out.”

The magical adventure story of Aladdin will be brought to life in a spectacular production complete with stunning sets, beautiful costumes and lots of comedy.

With an all local and Northern Irish cast including Mikey -Jay Heath as Aladdin, children’s favourite, Gerard McCabe as Wishee Washee and Keith Lynch as the evil, Abanazar, this sparkling festive treat is guaranteed fun for all the family.  Book your seats now for the carpet ride of a lifetime!

Aladdin, sponsored by Dunnes Stores, performs at the Millennium Forum from Friday 4^th December until Sunday 3^rd January.  Tickets are now available from the Box Office.  Telephone 71 264455 or visit www.millenniumforum.co.uk for bookings.

When it comes to Sundays in our house, it’s a bit of a lost day spent eating, lounging on the sofa and watching tv. So when Tourism NI asked me if I would be interested in blogging for them I jumped at opportunity of getting out and unplugging the kids from the matrix for a few hours.

Our first trip was a day in Belfast, yesterday 13th December. So, like the Griswolds on tour we set off from our home in Upperlands for the BIG SMOKE (girls up front and boys in the back to avoid any unnecessary arguing – it really gets on the kids nerves!).

Living in the heart of mid Ulster is great as it means nowhere in NI is more than a 1 hour drive (apart from Fermanagh), so after an hour we arrived at our first port of call – the Ulster Museum and found it surprisingly easy to find on road parking literally steps away from the entrance. Admission to the Museum is FREE with a suggested voluntary donation of £3.00.

The staff on duty were extremely helpful, however we were warned that we were not allowed to leave without visiting the Mummy!

We spent at least two hours at the museum which opens at 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday and there is something there to appeal to all tastes and ages.

Charlotte and I were more keen to see the art – and were not disappointed. The Colin Davidson exhibition “Silent Testimony” had been on my to do list for a while so I was pleased to get the chance to see this which is very moving.

Charlotte and Joseph were surprised by the diversity of art on display as you can see by Joseph’s face! He was more interested in the Natural History section.

There are plenty of activities on offer – yesterday there was a lantern making workshop for children in the run up to the Lantern Parade next week.  The children had a stab (successfully) at creating a compound (their teachers would be pleased!). So all in all it was educational, entertaining and thought provoking and the general consensus of opinion was that we would need to go back for a full day to see everything. Oh and yes we were allowed out – after seeing Takabuti – she has great teeth for a lady of her years!

We then made our way to the Cathedral Quarter and parked at St Anne’s Square, which is only short walking distance to the City Hall where we visited the Continental Christmas Market. Despite the constant drizzle of rain the good folk of NI were in good spirits – we are a hardy bunch and won’t let a bit of rain spoil our fun or dampen the Christmas spirit.  The market was very busy and if you like crepes be prepared to queue for a while.

Suitably hungry, we made our way to Little Wing Pizzeria on Ann Street – you can’t really go wrong with pizza for teenagers (or my husband).  This branch of Little Wing is walk in only, you can’t book a table in advance, but thankfully we only had a 5 minute wait before we were seated. This was my first Little Wing experience and found it very relaxed, with friendly staff and authentic pizzas. The varied menu also includes pasta dishes, salads and vegetarian and gluten free options, and is good value for money. We paid around £70 for four starters, four main course pizzas, four desserts, four milkshakes, a coke and a pot of tea.  Probably double what we would pay in the usual stopovers at McDonalds or KFC so this was a treat, but felt that it was well worth it for the quality of the food and the standard of service.

Our final stop was Downstairs at the MAC to see Rumpelstiltskin – tickets start at £12, the show runs until the 3rd January and is suitable for all the family.  The MAC is located in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter in St Anne’s Square with a fantastic programme of events to keep the family entertained over the Christmas period.

So as you can see we managed to cram a lot in to one rainy day in Belfast and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. The kids were entertained, fed and watered. Joseph’s highlight was Little Wing Pizzeria, Nigel’s highlight was the Colin Davidson exhibition at the Ulster Museum, Charlotte’s was Rumpelstiltskin and mine was seeing the Mummy Takabuti for the first time.

That’s all for now, until the next time.

Jacqueline

Manager

www.whatsonni.com

Join W5 on Tuesday 15 December for one big day of space-related science and awesome astronomical activities to celebrate the launch of the Principa mission which will see Tim Peake become the European Space Agency‘s first British astronaut!

Watch the rocket launch live from screens inside W5, learn about rockets with Scientific Sue, meet the experts from Queen’s University Belfast Astrophysics Research Centre, Culture Tech Festival, STEM Aware and more!

As part of our celebration on launch day, W5 is offering free admission for any child dressed as an astronaut on the 15th December 2015 when accompanied by a fee-paying adult. The building will be filled with talks, activities, workshops, competitions and photo opportunities which means that there will be something to suit people of all ages!

The star attraction of the day however, will be a visit from ESA astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy. Jean-Francois has been on three Space Shuttle missions and will be giving a number of talks and meeting schools and the public throughout the day!

For further information visit http://www.w5online.co.uk/fs/doc/Destination_Space_-_Flyer.pdf

Tourism NI has put together a list of 10 exciting things to do in Northern Ireland next week (December 14-20).

• Snowtube with Santa, Craigavon Golf & Ski Centre, Turmoyra Lane, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, December 16-22. Snowtubing with Santa is the perfect treat for kids aged 3 and above this Christmas. Children will spend 30 minutes Tubing and then meet Santa afterwards to receive a festive gift.

• The Music Box, Belfast Waterfront, Lanyon Place, Belfast, December 17-19. A firm favourite for the festive season, this lavish and family friendly show is an entirely new production filled with a magical selection box of music gems past, present, traditional and contemporary. The Music Box wouldn’t be complete without some of our very finest local talent including guest choirs, ballet girls and boy trebles… all to get you in the festive mood!

• Barn Session at Orchard Acre Farm, Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh, December 18. Join the farm family and other local musicians for the last ‘wee’ session before Christmas. Whilst the majority of music played during the evening will be Irish traditional tunes; in the spirit of a traditional session they will be welcoming acoustic musicians, dancers, singers and storytellers.

• Christmas BOUNCEMANIA, Score Football Centres, Hillmans Way, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, December 19-20. There will be over 30 inflatable’s spread over three halls for kids to bounce, slide and climb on to their hearts content – creating a wonderland of fun for them to enjoy. Santa will also arrive to meet and greet the kids and spread some Christmas cheer and treats.

• Belfast Castle Christmas Tours, Belfast Castle Estate and Cave Hill, Belfast, various dates until December 23. Take a walk through time this festive season with one of Belfast Castle’s popular Christmas tours. Tickets cost £4 per person and include tea or coffee and mince pies.

• Strabane Community Carol Service, Alley Theatre, Railway Street, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, December 17. Join in on this very heart-warming festive evening.  Enjoy music from St Joseph’s Brass Band and the wonderful harmonies from Strabane Chamber Choir and soloist Roíse Ó Murchú with readings from local clerics. From 8pm to 10.30.

• Santa Paws, Castle Coole, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, December 19. Make sure that special member of the family is part of the fun at stunning Castle Coole this Christmas! Bring your pooch to Santa Paws to enjoy a canine Christmas treat. From 11am – 12.30pm.

• Christmas Night at the Movies with Elluna, Ards Arts Centre, Town Hall, Conway Square, Co. Down, December 17. An enchanting candlelit evening of Christmas and Movie favourites performed and hosted by one of NI’s finest sopranos, Michelle Baird and her musicians, pianist Stephen Carlisle and violinist Michelle Haughian. Tickets £12 and includes mulled wine and mince pies.

• Christmas at Gracehill House, Stranocum, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, until December 23. Visit Santa and his elves in his Grotto at Gracehill House and explore Santa’s mail room, pet shop and workshop.  Children can bring their letter for Santa and post it in Gracehill House’s magical North Pole post-box. There will also be Christmas stalls and a winter wonderland!

• Winterland Express, W5 at Odyssey, Queen’s Quay, Belfast, until December 23. Take a trip on the Winterland Express, the magical miniature train ride. Travel through the enchanted forest into the icy cavern to emerge in the courtyard of Winterland Castle, where a few surprises await! The Winterland Express is free with admission to W5 and the ride lasts approximately 5 – 8 minutes.

Please note some of the events require pre-booking. For more details on these and other events click on www.discovernorthernireland.com/events, visit your local tourist information centre or log onto www.facebook.com/discovernorthernireland.

Special individually decorated reindeers designed by children from schools across Lisburn and Castlereagh, have been hidden around the City for locals and shoppers to find and be in with the chance to win some great prizes.

Throughout the month of November, school children have been tasked with painting ten life size reindeers as colourfully and as vibrantly as they wish, ready for them to be hidden in shop windows throughout Lisburn City Centre.

Hunt cards have been distributed around all the local Lisburn Primary Schools and can also be picked up at a number of shops across the City Centre.  Once you have spotted eight out of the ten reindeers and had your card stamped by the participating stores, hand them in. Completed cards can be left at the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum; Visitor Information Centre in Lisburn Square or the Council’s City Centre Management Office at Market Square.  There are a number of exciting prizes to be won.

Alderman Allan Ewart, Chairman of the Economic Development Department in Lisburn & Castlereagh Council said: “The local schools have done a fantastic job decorating our reindeers and we cannot thank them enough.  This is a great initiative that is currently in its sixth year.

“Lisburn & Castlereagh has invested heavily in increasing the festive fun within the City and we have a series of great events planned throughout the month of December. With the City being the perfect place to shop, eat, stay and visit….it is now the perfect place to come and have a little fun – so join the hunt to find our reindeers.”

The Reindeer Hunt competition will run throughout the month of December. Participating primary schools included Largymore, Forthill, Harmony Hill, Brownlee, Tonagh, Killowen, Knockmore, Central and the Mothers and Toddlers at Island Arts Centre.

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh is gearing up for month of mirth with the arrival of three of Northern Ireland’s finest comedians.

The hilarity kicks off with Colin Murphy on Saturday 12^th December and his show ‘Artificial Hipster’. As Blur once said, ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ but that was ages ago, they had no idea how crappy things were actually going to get. After a hiatus [not a small van, just a posh word for lying about eating biscuits for a while] the monger of mirth is back! Expect gripes, whinging, some swearing and, unexpectedly, poetry. That guy from the Blame Game on the BBC and that other thing that used to be on the RTE.  [If you need to be told then this isn’t the show for you!] Tickets for Colin Murphy are priced £18 each.

Then on Tuesday 29^th December, it’s the turn of Jake O’Kane with ‘Gaggin’ On It’ – the 2015 news reviewed, the big stories, small stories and everything in between! Hot on the heels of last year’s sell-out tour, ‘Mouthful’, Northern Ireland’s finest comic, Jake O’Kane, is back. In his inimitable style, Jakes takes no prisoners as he deals with the good, the bad and the ugly of 2015. Best known for the infamous ‘flegs’ piece on BBC’s ‘The Blame Game’, Jake weaves stories and news photos to give his take on the people, the places and the politics that made up the year. Those of a sensitive disposition, and politicians of all shades, should be afraid – very afraid. Tickets are priced £18 each.

Neil Delamere’s show ‘CTRL+ALT+DELAMERE’ on Saturday 9^th January is now sold out, but fear not, a new date has been released on Sunday 10^th January. Neil returns to The Market Place with a brand new show brimming with hilarious stories and incisive wit. 2015 saw the award-winning comedian continue his star turn on the perennially popular ‘The Blame Game’ for BBC NI on TV and radio. Neil also landed his own weekend national radio show for Today FM. Now, however, he’s back to his first love, telling tall tales and spinning side-splitting yarns about the events of the last year. Tickets are priced £20 each.

These performances are recommended for age 18+ as they may contain material that some people could find offensive.

Details of all events can be found online at www.marketplacearmagh.com, and tickets 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.

This Christmas we invite you to join in the magic at the Enchanted Winter Gardens from Saturday 12 December right through until Sunday 20 December, at Antrim Castle Gardens.

Feasts of seasonal festivities await to delight the whole family and bring the magic of Christmas alive from 4pm until 8pm each day.

Be amazed at the stunning light installations from the spectacular transformation of the formal gardens and trees with multi-coloured lights, to the cascading courtyard lighting and the traditional sparkling Christmas tree.

The Forest of Fire brings a warm glow whilst the Christmas train, Christmas crafts, Festive fayre, Santa’s Grotto and Reindeer trail, will stimulate all of the senses and promise to give a magical Christmas experience for all the family. All of these enchanting activities are available for the duration of the event with no admission fee.

The weekends see the addition of some special Christmas characters including the “Elf Who Forgot Christmas” as well as fire performers and the Snow Queen, to provide an extra touch of sparkle to this wonderful family event.

For further information please contact Antrim Castle Gardens on 028 9448 1338 or visit www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/christmas

Having never been to a pantomomime at the ripe age of 47 I was extremely pleased to be invited along for my first ever Panto experience – and I was not disappointed.

Accompanied my my husband and 13 year old twins we settled into our seats with the other families, lots of whom where dressed for the part and getting into the spirit of panto with their red riding hood costumes – ready for some serious audience participation – and there was plenty of that even when it wasn’t encouraged!

The production  introduces elements of other fairy tales including the Three Little Pigs, “Goldisocks” and Hansel & Gretel, and of course no fairytale is complete without a handsome prince – bring on Prince “Chopperwood”.

The production was musical, witty, energetic and uplifting.  We laughed, cheered, booed at the Big Bad Wolf, my husband was told off by Goldisocks at one stage and got up close and personal when the cast come through the audience at one point, much to the delight of the audience!

If you are looking for a fun night out with the kids – or friends, because this really is an all ages show, then Red Riding Hood is the show for you.   All of the cast were superb but for me the highlight was the singing solo by “Nanny No Hood” that would have melted even the coldest heart!!

The Market Place Theatre is state of the art – it could not be easier (park on level 3 at the St Patrick’s Trian multi story and walk straight through to the Theatre).

Jacqueline McGonigle, whatsonni.com

Make a night of it and pre-book a meal at the Bistro!

Performance Times:

Sat 5 Dec 11.00am & 3.00pm & 6.30pm | Sun 6 Dec 1.00pm & 4.30pm | Fri 11 Dec 6.30pm | Sat 12 Dec 1.00pm & 5.00pm | Sun 13 Dec 1.00pm & 4.30pm | Mon 14 Dec 6.30pm | Tues 15 Dec 6.30pm | Thurs 17 Dec 6.30pm | Fri 18 Dec 6.30pm | Sat 19 Dec 11.00am & 3.00pm & 6.30pm | Sun 20 Dec 1.00pm & 4.30pm

BOOK TICKETS

TICKET PRICES:

TICKET OFFER… What big discount we have… all the better to offer you even greater value…Fri 4 Dec 6.30pm | Mon 14 Dec 6.30pm | Tues 15 Dec 6.30pm OFFER £12.00 | £10.00 [CONC]

TICKETS FOR ALL OTHER PUBLIC PERFORMANCES £14.00 & £12.00 [CONC]

Schools Performances & Prices: Contact Group Booking 028 3752 1828

BSL Signed Performance: Sat 12 Dec | 5.00pm

Captioned Performance: Thurs 17 Dec | 6.30pm

Celebrate Christmas with a visit to the beautiful Craftswirl, based at Armagh Visitor Information Centre.

The gift shop has crafts and gifts to suit all tastes and budgets and for the Christmas period enjoy some festive fayre as we savour the tastes of Christmas through the ages.

On Saturday 12^th December from 11.00am – 4.00pm take a step back to a Georgian Christmas.  While you browse the extensive gift range in the shop, savour a taste of Georgian Christmas with a slice of our rich fruit cake, a popular table centre-piece of the Georgians.

Our festive celebrations continue with a flick back through the Armagh of yesteryear with a photographic exhibition provided by Armagh County Museum.

Craftswirl is open April to September… Mon to Sat 9.00am – 5.30pm | Sun 1.00pm – 5.30pm and October to March… Mon to Sat 9.00am – 5.00pm.

For further information contact Craftswirl / Armagh Visitor Information Centre, 40 English Street, Armagh  BT61 7BA Tel 028 3752 1800 www.armagh.co.uk/craftswirl