Escape to Freight Island is proud to announce a family-friendly enchantment of festive food, drink and entertainment for Christmas 2020, named Winter Island and opening on Thursday 12th November.

Winter Island adds to the site’s recently announced Ticket Hall annex of Escape To Freight Island, at Depot Mayfield, which has been the much anticipated second phase for the indoor food market and entertainment space, heralded as a carefully planned and exciting expansion towards the true vision of what is fast becoming the most talked about and innovative venue in the UK.

Winter is indeed coming, but the warmth of Escape to Freight Island remains.

The Island’s favourites – Voodoo Ray’s, Patty Queen, Baratxuri, Madre and Krum – will move into The Ticket Hall on Friday 30th October and on Thursday 12th November Winter Island will take over the outdoor space of Platform 15, where more than 80,000 people have visited safely since it opened in July.

Winter Island will be the UK’s largest fully outdoor, heated Winter Market with the installation of its new 1,500sqft heated Garden Tent sat underneath a 45ft Christmas Tree and will welcome a host of new festive traders and stalls including Great North Pie, a Bratwurst Grill, Traditional Hog Roast, a Mulled Wine & Hot Cider Hut, Local Chocolatier and Artisanal Cheese Stall – everything you could wish for as the winter nights draw in and the Christmas season begins.

The Ticket Hall will also welcome Grace Dent’s favourite Belzan Pasta Kitchen and The Jane Eyre cocktail bar – bringing classic and signature cocktails, set up high in the heart of the Ticket Hall and offering a view from above in a small cosy bar serving the best-mixed drinks in town.

There is Plant Grill, Forever Changes wine bar, shop and continental deli and the Rapha
partnered bike cloakroom all alongside a huge entertainment stage. The entertainment programme includes headline acts such as Hot Chip, Rhys from The Horrors and Huey Morgan DJ sets. There are festival collaborations from the likes of We Out Here festival with line-ups that include ALFOS, Dave Haslam and PRB Street Gang. Amuse Bouche will continue with its SundaymDrag spectacular with special guests Charlotte Church’s Pop Dungeon.

Festive entertainment from Thursday’s cabaret shows encompassing big band Motown and Jazz performances to Songs around the Campfire curated by Ríognach Connolly. There will be a weekly Christmas Cabaret from The Untold Orchestra performing David Bowie and Stevie Wonder favourites, and for the kids, there will be a big brass band Disney sing-along and some events from The Playhouse Project and Born to be Wild Child. Finally, Children of Zeus & NO6 Festival will round off the year.

A comedy night called ‘Just the Tonic’ joins the line- up, plus local talent takeovers by Reform Radio and The Golden Lion.

The Ticket Hall has undergone a massive transformation, as the cavernous industrial space has been filled with buzzing bars and restaurants. And for the festive season, a 45ft Christmas tree will be installed as the centrepiece of merriment, a Christmas light projection in the Circle area of Winter Island and a very special installation feature by Lightopia, the stunning light festival from Heaton Park, will extend into Escape To Freight Island for a one-off collaboration.

Also, with an additional seasonal spectacular, The Ticket Hall will also become home the cities first Winter Ice Curling Rink.

Full Christmas packages at Winter Island have been created for the season, further information on these can be found here.

Alongside the Safe & Social manifesto that has helped make Escape to Freight Island
such a success during these times, the ever-changing situation will be continually monitored by the team at Escape to Freight Island, and the manifesto will be amended as announcements that affect them are made.

As it stands, six members of the same household will be allowed to book and attend within the indoor space of The Ticket Hall, and a maximum of six people from different households will be able to book for the outdoor seated areas at Winter Island.

All bookings are to be made online here.

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