What’s On In Cheltenham

Farmer’s Market – 14th December & 21st December       
Voted the 'Best Farmers' Market in the Cotswolds' Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards 2006 Items on sale include:- Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, Duck, Bacon, Sausages, Fish, Fruit, Vegetables, Bread, Jam, Desserts, Honey, Cheese, Butter, Eggs and Much More…………

Cinema @ Christmas
The Polar Express
It's nearly midnight on Christmas Eve, and an excited boy is lying awake in bed. Suddenly a thunderous noise heralds the arrival of the Polar Express, a magical train waiting to take him on an exhilarating journey of a lifetime to the North Pole. With Tom Hanks starring as the excitable conductor, this animated festive favourite is set to thrill audiences of all ages. 

Everyman Theatre: 
Dick Whittington, 30th November 2007 – 12th January
The Tiler of Gloucester, 4th – 8th December
An Old Spot Nativity, 11th – 16th December
The Ugly Duckling, 18th December 2007 – 2nd January
http://www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Christmas Market – November 16th – December 2nd
The market will feature chalets run along the same lines as a German Christmas Market, from which a range of arts and crafts and super seasonal specialities will be on offer, showcasing some of the finest handcrafted produce in the South West of England. However, a number of the traders come from much further afield with a number of items being brought in from the Continent, including Germany. For those wishing to take a break from shopping, hot German mulled wine (Gluwein), German Beers, hot and cold seasonal beverages and a range of authentic German food will also be on offer.
http://www.clementinetoys.com/acatalog/Diary.html

What’s On In Cardiff

Christmas Workshop – 1st – 2nd December
Hour-long workshops throughout the day for children and adults alike. Make your own decorations, cards and other crafts.

Santa Cruises with Cardiff Water Bus – 1st – 16th December
Santa Cruises sailing from the Inner Harbour. Cruise begins on 1 December 2007, with various other dates and times. Please contact Cardiff Water Bus for details

The Selfish Elf – 1st – 23rd December
Christmas Science Theatre Show on everyday. Call or contact Techniquest for more details – 02920 475475

Santa’s Grotto – Techniquest – 8th – 23rd December
Combine a visit to one of Cardiff’s top visitor attractions with a chance to meet Father Christmas in his grotto, every weekend in December before Christmas.

Christmas Arts & Crafts Workshop – 24th December
Come and make some special Christmas-themed arts and crafts in the Red Dragon Centre. For kids of all ages.

Christmas Concert
In aid of Leukaemia Research Featuring special guest compères Nicola Heywood-Thomas and Arfon Haines-Davies Morriston Orpheus Choir Bedwas Trethomas Machen Band Ysgol Gerdd Ceredigion Leukaemia Research is the only national charity devoted to research into Leukaemia, lymphoma and other cancers of the blood. For further details contact Gill Jones on 029 2062 8696 or e mail [email protected]

Jack Frost Treasure Hunt – 9th December
A fun treasure hunt for kids at the Red Dragon Centre this Christmas

Santa’s Grotto – November 15th – December 24th
This year Santa's Grotto has a new home at Churchill Way in Cardiff City Centre!

Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland – November 15th – January 6th 2008
With over a quarter of a million skaters having taken to the ice in the past six years, bmibaby Cardiff Winter Wonderland returns to the beautiful Civic Centre for a seventh year in 2007. The magical open-air ice rink is back between November 15th 2007 and January 6th 2008 giving a cool 52 days of skating.

Wales Millennium Centre   
The Producers – November 27th – December 8th
Odyssey's The Ballroom – November 29th – December 1st
Knots – 4th – 5th December
The Long Way Home – 7th – 8th December
White Christmas – 13th December – 12th January
www.wmc.org.uk

St David’s Hall
Bee Gee’s Magic – 2nd December
Try Handbell Ringing – 7th December
Christmas Carol Singalong – 15th December
Wonderful Christmastime – 16th December
Kiev Classical Ballet, Nutcracker – 19th – 22nd December
Kiev Classical Ballet, Peter & the Wolf – 23rd – 29th December
www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

New Theatre
Julie – 2nd December
Visiting Mr. Green – 4th – 8th December
Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs – 15th December – 26th January
http://www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/English/whatson.asp

Cardiff International Arena
Featuring a whole host of acts including Maroon 5, Madness, UB40 and Wet Wet Wet
Visit http://www.livenation.co.uk/home/ for more info.

What’s On In Bristol

Breaking the Chains Exhibition – April 24th – December 31st
Britain and the abolition of the Slave Trade - an exhibition for 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the Parliamentary Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In 1807 the Transatlantic Slave Trade was abolished by the UK parliament. 2007 is the bicentenary of that Act and an opportunity for everyone to learn about, remember, reflect and commemorate the events, people and actions that made the 1807 Act so significant a part of British and global history.

Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 15th December – 13th January 2008
Come and see the best and most creative images of the natural world in this exhibition celebrating the drama and variety of life on Earth. This prestigious annual exhibition sets the standard for wildlife photography.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most successful event of its kind, attracting over 18,000 entries from amateur and professional photographers from 55 countries. The shell wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine and sponsored by Shell.

Winter Wonderland – Until – January 6th 2008
The Mall at Cribbs Causeway’s hugely popular Winter Wonderland attraction opens again on Thursday 15th November, paving the way for another magical Christmas.
You can visit Santa in his castle until Christmas Eve; skate on the outdoor ice rink; enjoy a ride on a traditional carousel and all of this with guaranteed snow!

Bristol Zoo Winter Ice Rink – November 16th – January 13th 2008
From November 16 visitors to the Zoo will be able to pull their skates on and take to the ice, in-between seeing the Zoo’s 400 species, including gorillas, penguins, seals as well as the inhabitants of the aviaries, reptile house, aquarium and bug house.
Either combine your skating session with a day out at the Zoo or take to the ice for an 'after-hours' ice rink only experience, where you can skate under the stars to the accompanying sound of the roaring of lions!

Santa at the Mall Galleries –November 17th - December 24th
Visit Santa in his magical grotto this Christmas and tell him how good you've been. The grand opening will be on November 17th, and arriving with Santa the Polar Bear makes a return visit.

Winter Festival – November 23rd – February 29th 2008
November to February is the very best time to see the hundreds of Bewick's swans who spend their winter months at Slimbridge. Join a commentated afternoon swan feed in comfort of the heated Peng Observatory where our experts will introduce you to the swans - many of whom have visited Slimbridge every year since they were cygnets. Learn how we identify each swan and a bit about their family history. The happenings on Swan Lake can make Coronation Street look tame, squabbles with neighbours, love and loss, new arrivals and all out turf wars are regular happenings. Perhaps this year Teapot and Teabag will arrive with their family, maybe Crinkly - the swan with the perculiar neck shape will have found a mate.

Santaland at Wookey Hole – November 24th – January 1st 2008
All you need under one roof! Meet the elves and host of other magical characters including Real Reindeer in the wonderful world of Santaland. With festive fun and games for all the family make this the trip to put at the top of your Christmas list. Why not book in advance and each child will receive a special personalised invitation from Father Christmas prior to their visit.

Westonbirt Arboretum Enchanted Christmas – November 30th – December 23rd
Take a walk through the famous Enchanted Wood. See the beauty and wonder of the trees lit up at night. The 'must see' event of the Christmas period. A magical atmosphere to be enjoyed by adults and children alike. There will also be carol singing, Christmas carvery, roast chestnuts and mulled wine!
The Enchanted Christmas evenings will be running, every Friday, Saturday and
Sunday evenings 5 - 8pm (last entry 7pm).

Light Up Bristol!
Featuring seven of the world’s most powerful projectors, 400ft animations and moving images, the five day event promises to be one of the biggest light events in the UK.  The event will also be surrounded by a huge hourly snow blizzard which will transform the city centre into a winter wonderland.

This is a free event, the lights can be seen from 6pm-10pm

Colston Hall:
Viva La Dive ft Katherine Jenkins & Darcey Bussell – 5th – 6th December
The Bootleg Beatles – 7th December
Thin Lizzy & Queensryche – 8th December
Royal Marines Christmas Spectacular - 9th December
Status Quo – 11 – 12th December
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – 15th December
Christmas with the Rat Pack – 18th – 19th December
Jake & Elwoods BIG Christmas Party – 20th December
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – 31st December
www.colstonhall.org

What’s On In Bath

Christmas at Claverton – 24th November – 12th December
This year our theme is "Christmas Jewels". A rich, warm palette of jewel-like colours will adorn our halls, stairways and the fifteen foot Central Hall tree - ruby red, amber orange, emerald green, and gilded gold. Lustrous handmade trimmings will catch the light and warm the heart.

Bath Christmas Market – 29th November – 9th December
Make a date to visit Bath's unique outdoor Christmas Market. 11 days of the very best of seasonal shopping, fine food, family fun and excellent entertainment enhanced by Bath's stylish and spectacular Christmas lights.

Carols by Candlelight – 19th – 21st December
City of Bath Bach Choir returns to the Pump Room in Bath for its annual carol concerts from December 19th to 21st starting at 7:30pm. The concerts take place in the glorious splendour of the Pump Room itself and have been referred to as, “One of the long-established fixtures in the City’s pre-Christmas calendar” The concerts combine the traditional and new and offer the opportunity for audience participation. Advance booking is recommended as these concerts are very popular. Tickets are priced at £14 for adults and £10 for children.

Up until November 7th tickets can be obtained by contacting the ticket secretary on 07967 444079. Then from Nov 12th they can be obtained from the Bath Festivals Box Office 01225 463362

Jane Austen’s Regency Christmas – November 17th – December 23rd
You can visit this special Christmas exhibition and find out how Jane, her family and friends amused and entertained themselves during the festive season and how they decorated their houses. Find out about the first Christmas Tree, when and where it was erected and by whom. Games such as spillikins, cup and ball, bullet pudding and snapdragon were very popular but how did they play them? The Centre guides will tell you. Food was of course very important at Christmas time and upstairs in our Regency Tea Rooms they will also be celebrating with the introduction of a special Christmas menu. Lastly you must not miss our gift shop, which has something for everyone including the person who has everything.