November 29, 2018, by Sunita Tailor

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Notts

This blog post was written by final year English student, Hannah Smart. 

Here in Nottingham, temperatures have dropped and evenings stood shivering in club queues are making us feel wintery in all the wrong ways. To make sure this really is the most wonderful time of the year, below are just five of the festive opportunities on offer for students this season:

1. From the 15^th November, Old Market Square becomes Nottingham’s answer to Winter Wonderland.

Complete with the UK’s biggest mobile ice rink and over 70 traditional craft and food stalls, there are also four bars. These include Altitude, an elevated all-glass bar promising Instagram-worthy panoramic views of the city, where mulled wine or a Bailey’s hot chocolate will set you back £5.00, and ski-lodge-style chalet bar Sur La Piste, the kitchen of which is being taken over this year by the wildly popular Bar Iberico. You can also pre-book entry to the Ice Bar; tickets, which include two drinks and glove/jacket hire, are £13.00 each.

2. Electric Garden at Hockley Arts Club

From December, Hockley Arts Club transform their top floor bar into a Narnia-esque Winter Wonderland, complete with a Christmas-inspired cocktail list.  In keeping with the Narnia theme, the entrance is easily missed; find it on Carlton Street opposite Lost Property Bar. A student top tip? Opt for a sharing cocktail, which can work out to £5.80 each.

3. Santa Paws event at Wollaton Hall
What do University students miss most about home? Their dogs. On the 15^th and 16^th December, Wollaton Hall hosts its Santa Paws event. All donations go to the Jerry Green Dog Rescue charity, so you can support a good cause whilst tending to your own homesickness!

4. Maria Carey All I Want for Christmas is You tour
Potentially out of our price range as students, but still absolutely worth mentioning, is the fact that the All I Want for Christmas is You tour returns to Nottingham this year. When you inevitably tire of strangers singing the Christmas classic to you on nights out throughout the season, catch the real thing at the Motorpoint Arena on the 9^th.

5. Souprunners
Available to participate in all year round, but particularly important when temperatures drop, is University of Nottingham’s Souprun. Two evenings a week, students make and hand out soups, sandwiches, hot drinks and snacks to those who need it in Nottingham City Centre. Head to their Facebook page to sign up to the next run!

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