Bringing together music, song, dance, comedy, drama and plenty of festive spirit, an annual Christmas show returns this weekend.

Manannan’s Winterfest, a unique concert celebrating Manx Christmas traditions through a variety of acts and entertainers, will take place at the Gaiety Theatre on Friday, December 10, from 7.30pm.

Heading up the concert line-up will be the huge 18-piece Blue Train Big Band and local singers Mae Challis and Mandy Griffin, who will lead the crowd through many classic Christmas songs, as well as the vocal trio, The Reveillettes, featuring singers Jo Callister, Sally-Ann Wilson and Christy DeHaven, and the harmony quartet The Shimmers, comprising the talents of Paul Costain, Jane Corkill, Ruth Tickle and John Snelling.

They will lead a packed night of music, fun and entertainment, including comedy from Dot Tilbury, Geoff Corkish and Sonia Callin, as well as a welcome return from the Deemsters, and a spectacular performance from the traditional Manx dance group Ny Fennee.

Dancer Daisy Divers and organist Gareth Moore will also appear.

Unfortunately, a publicised act, the Duo Landat Moisson, a Breton folk group featuring Tomas Moisson and Lors Landat, were not able to travel to the island due to the latest Covid travel restrictions.

Adding to the variety will be a premier performance of an original Manx play called ’Too Much’, written by Cori Phillips and Becky Traynor, based on the old Manx folklore tale of Tehi Tegi, a witch who can turn herself into a wren.

The ’Manannan’s Winterfest’ concert is organised, amongst others, by David Kilgallon, who also performs in the house band, alongside fellow trad musicians Malcolm Stitt, Jamie Smith and Katie and Kirsty Lawrence.

David said that they were looking forward to hosting a night packed with a genuine variety in entertainment.

’There is going to be a lot of people involved this year, with something like 60 people taking part altogether.

’We decided not to have a choir involved this year purely because there wasn’t room for them.’

He said that the concert, now in its fourth year running, is a firm fixture in the festive calendar for many people and he hopes they will be able to grow and expand the event in the future.

’It seems to have become a staple for a lot of people to go and see during Christmas,’ said David.

’We do get a lot of people who tell us that they look forward to it every year and they always take their families to it, which is wonderful to hear.

’We wanted to build it up and make it into a very traditional Christmas show, and it does have that real, cosy Christmassy feel to it.

’That’s what we wanted it to become and hopefully we can make it a bigger show in the future, or have it over two nights.

’We are lucky to have the acts we have on each year, and this year is no different.

’Each year we want to push it and have something different to make it a new experience with each concert.

’Alongside the music, which is obviously a very important part of the night, we will have a lot of comedy with Dot, Geoff and Sonia, as well as having the Deemsters back, which is great as they are absolutely brilliant.

’Also, with the play by Cori and Becky - it is something we always want to have, that new thing that no one has ever seen before.

’With Christmas shows, you could easily get away with banging out some of the typical Christmas things, but we really try hard not to do that, and we want each night we hold to be that extra bit special and memorable year after year.’

Tickets for Manannan’s Winterfest, sponsored by Fynoderee Gin and backed by the Isle of Man Arts Council, are priced between £21 and £25, with £16 for under 16s, and are available from the Welcome Centre and the Villa gaiety box office, on 600555, and online from villagaiety.com