Northern Lights is returning to Heaton Park for a second year with a new Christmas Time Machine trail, inspired by Scalextric, slinky and other toys of Christmas past. The event aims to recreate the 'excitement of flicking through THAT Christmas catalogue'.
What to expect on the trail
Billed as 'a nostalgic mile-long trail through the sights, sounds and rituals of Christmases past', visitors will enter through the Christmas Time Machine, described as 'a radiant tunnel of light where everyday life slips away and the warm glow of Christmas past begins to sparkle around them.'
Produced by From The Fields, the multi-award-winning independent events company behind Kendal Calling and Bluedot, the event promises that toy cupboards and boxes will 'burst into life across Heaton Park'.
Installations and attractions
'Neon Spiropath patterns will twist, weave and wind overhead, a giant rainbow Slinky will tumble above the trail, and mirrored kaleidoscope arches will surround visitors with swirling with colour and pattern'.
At the Retro Racers installation, Scalextric gets 'a technicolour Christmas makeover', as visitors 'send lights whizzing round a giant racetrack'. A battalion of giant nutcrackers will stand at attention at Nutcracker Salute, where illuminated commands underfoot encourage visitors to hop, twirl, skip and jump through the installation.
Among the 15 installations, there will also be the swirling colours of Lava Lamp Lane and a cuckoo-clock finale at the Lakehouse, with street food, an alpine bar and a giant Ferris wheel in the Christmas Village. Six new traders will join the Christmas Village, alongside returning favourite The Sausage Factory, offering everything from chargrilled souvlaki and handmade pies to hot fruit crumble.
Dates, tickets and accessibility
Emma St.Croix, marketing manager at From The Fields, said: “Christmas memories are rarely about one particular year, they are found in the toys we desperately wished for, the stories we heard at bedtime and the traditions we repeated with our families.
“Those shared memories inspired us to create A Christmas Time Machine for Heaton Park. We’re looking forward to awakening fond memories that parents and grandparents will recognise from their own childhoods, while giving younger visitors the opportunity to discover them in a completely new way.
“Heaton Park gives us an extraordinary setting in which to tell that story, and we cannot wait for visitors to see how its landscape and landmarks will be transformed this winter.”
The trail opens on November 19 and runs until December 31. The route is fully accessible, with dedicated neuro-inclusive evenings when visitor numbers are reduced by 75% and audio levels are lowered throughout.
Tickets cost from £13.50 for children aged 3 to 16 and from £19.50 for adults. Twos and under go free. A family package for two adults and two children costs £60. Visitors can save 20% on tickets with code LIGHTS20 until October 31.
