The North’s largest winter festival, Winter Island, makes its highly anticipated return to Freight Island this festive season, and announces a brand-new immersive experience Twilight Tales, running from Thursday, 13th November until Wednesday, 31st December. This year, Winter Island evolves its celebrated Twilight Trail at Mayfield Park from previous years into Twilight Tales – which will take place over Freight Island’s spacious and heated courtyard, transforming it into a wonderland of light, sound and festive adventure. Purpose-built for the 2025 festive season, Twilight Tales has been designed to be Manchester’s most financially accessible Christmas experience for families with children’s tickets starting from only £5 and promises to be a captivating blend of storytelling and sensory discovery. Guests will begin their journey by stepping into a towering enchanted garden, centred around a giant storybook that brings the tale to life, surrounded by a twinkling Christmas tree forest. This magical entrance sets the scene for the adventures ahead, immersing visitors in a world of festive storytelling and wonder. Throughout the tales, Santa’s mischievous elves will be playing hide and seek. Guests who spot all ten will have the chance to win a festive gift. The experience continues as guests step into a series of immersive walkthrough installations, each one bursting with festive wonder and designed to ignite the imagination. The journey begins in the Smokey Tunnel, a playful passage filled with swirling clouds of mist and floating smoke bubbles that dance through the air. From there, guests are transported into the Icicle Cave, a glittering world where shimmering light meets frosty festive magic, evoking the feeling of stepping into a crystal cavern. The adventure then unfolds through the Spirograph Tunnel, a mesmerising walkway woven with glowing webs and dynamic patterns of light that shift and swirl as visitors move through. Finally, guests emerge into the Mirrorball Cave, a dazzling corridor where reflections sparkle and twinkle like stars across the night sky – a truly breathtaking finale to this enchanting sequence of experiences. Following the walkthrough journey, guests are invited to discover The North Pole Playground – an illuminated playground space in Mayfield Park designed for both children and grown-ups to play, explore, and let their imaginations run wild. Though the magic does not stop there as guests will be guided onwards where the spirit of Christmas truly comes alive. Visitors are invited to climb aboard The Twilight Express – a neon-lit train experience that captures the excitement of a festive journey to the North Pole, with shimmering carriages filled with bursts of steam, enchanting sound effects and interactive controls. The Twilight Tales experience leads into a cosy festive celebration where guests can gather around the firepit to toast complimentary marshmallows, enjoy hot chocolate or mulled wine, and for the little ones to get creative in Santa’s Workshop with crafts, plus complimentary face painting. Capture the perfect festive photo on Santa’s sleigh and send Christmas wishes through the giant magical mail chute. A magical festive season awaits as Winter Island and its new Twilight Tales adventure transform Freight Island into Manchester’s ultimate city-centre Christmas destination. Just a short five-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, it provides excellent public transport access for those travelling into the city. Winter Island is the North’s largest heated indoor and outdoor winter festival, now a beloved fixture of Manchester’s festive calendar. With a spectacular mix of attractions, food and drink, and entertainment, it continues to delight locals and visitors alike. Also new for this year, the team behind Winsome will be joining the food line-up to unveil a new project. Known for their thoughtful approach to British comfort food and warm Northern hospitality, the Winsome team will bring their signature flair to Winter Island, offering guests a taste of something truly special for the festive season. Winter Island (including Twilight Tales) runs from Thursday, 13th November to Wednesday, 31st December 2025. With accessible pricing, tickets for Twilight Tales are £5 (off-peak) and £6 (peak) for kids, £8 (off-peak) and £9 (peak) for adults. Family tickets are available at £24 (off-peak) and £27 (peak) for a family of four, up to two adults and two children. Top tip for families visiting Twilight Tales this season, a child ticket purchased throughout October includes a Kids Eat Free offer at Freight Island. To book a free table at Winter Island, visit www.escapetofreightisland.com/christmas. To book tickets for Twilight Tales, visit www.twilighttales.co.uk. For large booking (20 people and more) and private hire enquiries, email christmas@freightisland.com. Follow @freightislandmcr and @thetwilighttalesmcr on Instagram for the latest update.