The Oast House Christmas Festival and the Curious Teepee

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Posted 2012-11-19 by Claire Smith ⇒ follow

I step out of the cold and into a warm, cosy corner of Lapland.
Christmas decorations hang from wooden beams surrounding the old building, while laughter and chatter fill the air.

Outside the building there's a teepee but it's impossible to see inside the secret hideaway. The door opens and another dimly-lit Christmas scene is before me – Christmas trees, lights decorating the beams, benches for people to sit at, even a roaring fire.

But this teepee has a dancefloor. And a bar. And I'm not in Santa's grotto in Lapland, I'm in the Oast House bar in Spinningfields, Manchester.

My description might sound a little far-fetched, but it really is a seasonal wonderland.

It gets even better when smooth live jazz filters into the teepee through speakers from the packed main bar (on a Wednesday evening, not late), which is the cherry on top and secures my mood for the evening.

So what's it all about? The Oast House Christmas Festival is about to get under way and will run throughout December.

The Curious Teepee will make its home outside the building, a reconstruction of a Kentish building used to dry hops in the brewing process, and it's going to have it all.

Mulled wine, hot roasted chestnuts, carol singers, a hot roast feast... and tons of festive atmosphere, you know, like you see in the movies.

Ale lovers can sample local beers and I'd be amazed if anyone could pass up the opportunity to have a drink called Coronation Street.

There are also ales and beers from USA, Scotland, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Somerset, Hereford. You get the picture. There's a lot.

You'll also find a good range of wines at the usual prices of city centre bars.

If you're not going to go for the Christmas menu, you can order deli boards, ploughman's boards, salads, something from the barbecue or something from the rotisserie.

It's not your average bar this. Competition is fierce in this metropolitan city and the Oast House has succeeded in offering something different. And you can't fault them for their Christmas spirit.