The first of our 10 great reasons to visit Dundee this Christmas is to join in with the festive spirit at Dundee Winterfest. The main event begins on the 26th of November with Slessor Gardens hosting a big ferris wheel and outdoor ice-rink. A craft village will offer some seasonal shopping with crafts, food and drink served from a mini village of traditional wooden hut stalls.
The festivities continue across in City Square on the 3rd of December through to the 24th, where you can put yourself in the picture (literally) of the 3D Dundee Christmas card.
Dundee has splashed out on new Christmas lights and they’ll be brightening up the winter nights from the 19th of November onwards. Look out for some of your favourite local comic characters twinkling down at you.
If the kids aren’t already going nuts then they can say hello to a light up Pingoo and watch the illuminations that are projected around the square. Look out for the Dundee Christmas tree.
It’s better to give than to receive and a trip away isn’t all about you. Of course, you’ll be thinking of others when you combine a relaxing getaway with some Christmas gift shopping for all your nearest and dearest. Dundee has a wealth of fantastic local shops that can provide all your Christmas shopping needs. Here’s a list of a few of our independent traders that give Dundee a flavour all of its own.
Top Tip: Remember to pace yourself! We’re not exactly sure of the ratio but we are reliably informed that it’s 10 minutes shopping and 50 minutes in the Wine Press (other establishments that sell wine are also available – look here to find them)
There are plenty of live gigs you can catch during December. From the bigger events at the Caird Hall with the likes of hometown favourites Deacon Blue and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers to the more intimate gigs at Church from acts such as Dundee’s own Be Charlotte in November and rock icons Goodbye Mr MacKenzie.
Let’s not forget about the amazing bars and clubs around the city that bring you all the up and coming talent. Check out Beat Generator and Number 57 when you’re in town.
Whatever your musical taste you’re bound to find a gig when you visit Dundee this Christmas that’ll get you in the party mood.
The choices are endless when you’re dining out in Dundee and there are plenty delectable festive menus to tickle the tastebuds. Click here to see the our very own list of Dundee’s favourite restaurants.
We’re halfway through our 10 great reasons to visit Dundee this Christmas and we’re heading to the bar again. (Mmmm, I sense we’re beginning to see a pattern…….of supporting local businesses!)
From dark subterranean hideaways to bright, shiny, chic night spots you’re sure to find yourself shaken and stirred when it comes to sampling some of Dundee’s finest Mixology.
Here’s five of our favourites from some of hottest cocktail venues around the town…………….
‘Josephine Baker’ at the King Islington ‘Bad Boy, Good Girl’ at Malmaison ’29 Days Later’ at 3 Session Street ‘Expresso Martini ‘at the Blue Room ‘Raspberry Moscow Mule’ at Bruach
With deals a plenty at some of the hotels in and around the city you can start the holders early and book a romantic breaks for two or a lazy spa weekend or even a ‘grab the kids and let’s book a lodge’ break
Head over to our offers page for links to the latest accommodation offers.
Soak up a bit of culture at one of Dundee’s many museums and galleries. Dundee has plenty of great and glorious venues hosting exhibitions to to wonder, marvel and delight at.
The world famous V&A Dundee Museum is here to welcome you to the party with Night Fever: Designing Club Culture exhibition that continues through till the 9th of January. All that is great and good about the club scene and how it has and was influenced by design.
The McManus Art Gallery & Museum, in association with Dundee Rep, invite you to take a trip down memory lane to ‘The Street‘. It’ll be an especially nostalgic trip for some Dundonians as they visit the shop and stand at the bar from Dundee’s yesteryear. Browse the windows of the old Toy Shop and the Pawn Shop. Look into the Shoe Shop and Furniture Shop. ‘The Street’ begins on the 13th of November
Children aged between 2 and 12 can Meet Santa and Mrs Claus on the Bus and receive a special Christmas gift on the 4th,5th, 11th and 12th of December at the Dundee Museum of Transport.
Why not visit Dundee this Christmas and learn new festive skill that’s bound to come in handy at least once a year?
Get an early start with a Contemporary Christmas Wreath Making Workshop at Dock Street Studios on the 17th of November.
The DCA are running a 2 day course on the 2nd and 9th of December where you can make cool, lo-fi risograph cards or prints to give as gifts. A hybrid of photocopying and silkscreen, this eco-friendly, fast-paced process uses soy-based inks and recycled paper.
Madigan’s Tea Room & Bookshop are having a Craft Fair on Sunday the 28th of November at 11am. Lots of crafty goodness on show from local suppliers.
But to top the lot you better hang on to your hem line (and try and contain yourself if the word ‘Haberdashery’ hits your ‘buttons’) because Sew Confident Dundee are bringing a whole cornucopia of crafty creativity with the likes of Christmas Crocheting, Quilted Christmas Stocking and Christmas Dress making classes. Festive classes starting from the 28th of November and all the way through the first week of December. Visit Dundee this Christmas and get booked up.
On no it’s not. Oh yes it is. What better reason to visit Dundee this Christmas than to take in everyone’s family favourite; a pantomime. The Whitehall Theatre and the Gardyne Theatre are both hosting fabulous shows to thoroughly entertain all the family and get the kids screaming with delight.
Gardyne Theatre are staging a production of Sleeping Beauty from the 1st to the 5th of December and then from the 10th to the 17th of December it’s Downfield Musical Society turn to bring their rendition of Cinderella to the Whitehall Theatre.
Let us not forget about the good old Dundee Rep, who are delighting us with some musical theatre and a ‘world premiere’ of a brand new musical version of the ultimate Christmas story, A Christmas Carol. It runs from the 27th of November through to the 31st of December. A cast of 11 actor-musicians bringing a brand new score to life and featuring everyone’s favourite characters – from Tiny Tim and Jacob Marley to the Ghost of Christmas Past, they’ll also be asking the audience to help tell this iconic story.
This wonderfully witty re-telling of Dickens’ tale of redemption filled with ghostly thrills is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.
And finally, the final of our 10 great reasons to visit Dundee this Christmas is to keep the party going and extend your stay in Dundee through to the New Year and celebrate the bells in our cool wee city.
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