Here is a guide to all the activity and travel information that you need ahead of Christmas Day.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Manchester World and what is our last Feature Friday video before
00:03Santa Claus appears to drop off lots of presents and lots of Christmas cheer.
00:07This video you won't be seeing me sprinting all around the place at all, it's simply
00:11going to be me, Theo Cousinbets, telling you all about the things that you can and can't
00:14do this Christmas in and around the Greater Manchester area.
00:18Now let's start with a few of the activities going on.
00:20If you're looking for a quiet place to escape the Christmas chaos, the cosy corner at Castlefield
00:25Viaduct may be the best option for you.
00:27It's got an amazing range of plants, decorating a sky garden right in the heart of the city
00:31and it's an awesome option for those who need a bit of relaxation.
00:34In the evenings it can be even more idyllic, with a host of lanterns and lights bringing
00:38the garden to life and creating the perfect end destination for a romantic winter walk.
00:43In terms of restaurants that are open on Christmas Day, there are tons.
00:46We've done a few videos already from Sicilian NQ, a wonderful little Sicilian restaurant
00:51in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
00:53I was lucky enough to sample the food there last week and it was truly, truly excellent.
00:57We had a little conversation with the owner, Carmen, and here's what she had to say about
01:01opening on the big day itself.
01:03It seemed to me very strange that all the restaurants around, they shut on the 25th.
01:11Why?
01:12I don't understand.
01:13That's something particular in this city that I think doesn't happen in other parts of the
01:20world because in Italy, 25th you are open because the family want to go out.
01:27Now there are also some great places such as 20 Stories, Lucky Cat, Peter Street Kitchen,
01:32Zouk, Ottoman Bar and Grill, and they'll all be quickly running out of spots if you're
01:36looking for an alternative to the Christmas dinner tradition, while a host of restaurants
01:40and takeaways in Chinatown are also great options.
01:43Let's move on to travel then, which is a bit more boring but equally important, and we'll
01:46start with the B network.
01:48On Christmas Eve, tram services start at the normal 6am but end before 9pm, while buses
01:52will stop between 6pm and 9pm depending on the service.
01:56On Christmas Day, there'll be no trams at all, and the only bus running will be the
01:59Stagecoach service 43.
02:01On Boxing Day, tram services will operate between 7am and 1am, with services running
02:06every 15 minutes until midnight, and then every half hour until 1am.
02:10Special bus services will be running, but it's worth checking the website to get specific
02:13times.
02:14There aren't set to be any major changes to the regular schedule on the 28th, 29th or 30th,
02:19and on New Year's Eve, an amended tram schedule will see services run every 12 minutes between
02:236am and 1am, but only on limited services, while buses will be largely unchanged, with
02:28the exception of a few that will stop running at 6pm.
02:31On New Year's Day, special buses will be running on a few services, so again, check the B network
02:35schedule for that.
02:37As for trains, Northern Rail are running a normal service on the 23rd, and they've warned
02:41that there may be disruption on the 24th.
02:43There are no trains at all on Christmas or Boxing Day, and disruption is then expected
02:47right up to the 1st of January, with the exception of the 30th of December.
02:51Now I know I've just thrown a lot of information at you, so hopefully you've managed to stick
02:54with us right to the end.
02:55If so, Merry Christmas, we look forward to seeing you soon, here at Manchester World.