Step-in to Christmas at Blackburn's brand new pop up festive tavern that's set to be at the top of everyone's list this year!

How about this for a fabulous Christmas surprise…

Blackburn is set to get its own pop-up festive tavern, and it opens next week!

‘Escapades’ will bring together the most delicious festive food, dazzling drinks and a packed line-up between now and Christmas Eve, promising to be ‘the’ place you’ll want to be.

Christine Cort – an expert in place-making and brand-building – is pulling out all the stops to create something extra special for her hometown.

And she’s enlisted the help of pal and celebrity chef, Paul Heathcote and his company, Escapade to devise a street market approach to the food and drink that’s set to be an absolute gift to foodies.

Think mouth-watering Christmas dinner stacks with dipping gravy, market bratwursts, pigs in blankets with cranberry sauce, sprout slaw and truffle crisps.

Throw in mince pie crumbles with piping hot custard and spiced chocolate brownies with Baileys cream and you really do have the perfect recipe!

Then to the drinks…

There’s four speciality cocktails, all with a festive twist, of course, and the finest quality beers brewed with passion from the much-renowned and loved Thornbridge Brewery.

The Guava Christmas pint is sure to be a hit!

Warming hot chocolates will also be thrown in as well as speciality teas and coffees perfect to enjoy in the cosy pop-up tavern – decked beautifully for the festive season – or to take away with you.

Christine is working around the clock to ensure that Escapades will be a space that everyone can enjoy – something she is incredibly passionate about.

There’ll be board games for families during the day and elf juice for the little ones – perfect if you’re heading across the road to the panto at King George’s Hall.

In the evening, 35 Northgate will then transform with a packed programme of live music, including the brand-new Blackburn Gigs.

And getting the Christmas party well and truly started on the first Friday will be super-popular Ibiza DJ Andy Carroll who will be taking to the decks.

Andy has been a DJ for the best part of 30 years and he helped bring house music to Northern England and was part of the team that helped establish global clubbing super brand, Cream.

While the quality of this pop-up is super impressive, it’s not a surprise.

Christine brought about a major cultural shift to Manchester through the Manchester International Festival which she co-founded – it’s now recognised as one of the most successful festivals in the world.

Her Chew’s Yard project in Preston has proved a huge hit too – being packed out every weekend.

“I’m absolutely passionate about building communities and creating places people want to be,” she said.

“I like to bring people together and Escapades will absolutely do that, and what better time than at Christmas.

“Blackburn is a place I care passionately about and I want to give something back to the town.

“I really want everyone to feel welcome at Escapades. Families, couples, groups of friends and colleagues, and we’re not forgetting dogs too, they’re just as welcome.

“We want people to come and enjoy the festive experience with the fabulous festive food, drinks and entertainment, creating memories together.”

Escapades will officially open its doors on Thursday (December 12) and will then open over 10 different days in the run-up to Christmas.

You can find a full line-up at www.discoverblackburn.co.uk/escapades

Behind the bar will be the talented team from Escapade, who provide bar service at international events in some of the very best venues around the world.

Director, Alex Leigh said: “For us it’s about creating moments.

“We know we can do that through the food and through the drinks – how it looks, how it tastes, how it’s served – it’s about creating an experience that people enjoy and go away and want to talk about.

“Our staff have worked in some of the finest cocktail bars in the world, at the highest level of hospitality and we’re so looking forward to bringing Escapades to Blackburn as part of this new pop-up festive tavern with Christine and her team.

“This is something different and really fun for the festive season.”

Escapades is part of the development of Blackburn’s new Cultural Quarter and is being supported by the Government’s High Street Accelerator Fund.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said: “This is absolutely brilliant for Blackburn – a real gift to us this Christmas.

“We want people to come and enjoy Escapades and see all we have to offer here in the town centre, with an impressive line-up between now and the end of the year.

“There really is so much to make a fantastic festive day and night of it here in the town.

“We have great places to shop, great places to eat, drink and to get into the Christmas spirit, including The Firepit Tipi, the new Blackburn Gigs and the ever-popular panto at King George’s Hall and now Escapades too.

“This has got to be one of the best line-ups we’ve had in the town with so much to look forward to.

“A big thank you to Christine and to the team who are working around the clock to open Escapades – a tremendous amount of work is going into making it a huge success.

“Please do visit as soon as you get chance and help support this exciting pop-up and our local businesses this Christmas.”

There’s a full rundown of what’s on this December on the new Discover Blackburn website: www.discoverblackburn.co.uk

Head to the website and you can find inspiration for family days out, nights out and a rundown of the best places to shop and eat and drink across the town centre.

For all the latest on Escapades, be sure to follow Discover Blackburn on Facebook, Insta and Tik Tok.