WHEN taxis are scarce and money is tight, sticking close to home for Christmas can be crucial, and there is certainly enough going on in Bolton to keep you occupied during the festive season.

On Sunday Atlantis plays host to Love 2 Dance, a night of house classics with DJs Andy Copeland and Matt Darey, plus Lasgo will be flying in from Holland for a special appearance at the club.

On Christmas Eve Atlantis will be visited by Dario G, performing Feels Like Heaven, which they plan to re-release in January, and on Boxing Day the club will be offering an all inclusive night, entry £15, where you can drink the night away and perhaps boogie off a few mince pies while you're at it. Meanwhile on December 28, So Solid's Romeo is back by popular demand for a night of smooth tunes.

If an alternative Christmas is more your style then Club IndieGo will be open for business this weekend as ever, and on Christmas Eve DJ Talkie T will be playing some festive numbers in amongst the usual top notch mix of rock, indie, dance and punk. Pop down to Ikon this evening for a Christmas shindig featuring Key 103 DJ Darren Proctor and as manydance and party tunes that you can shake a sprig of mistletoe at.

Down at Bar Juice Christmas Eve brings a spot of Loungin', with Juice residents Victor and Silky playing R'n'B tunes to keep you in a suitably funky mood, joined by Zero Degrees DJ Dave Shaw, where the tunes will be spun until 2am.

Once again the post-Xmas events are not in short supply, with Juice hosting a 2Risque special, where DJs Jason Herd and Robbo play all those "hands in the air" house anthems you love so much.

Remember Manchester is only a train ride away, and though Christmas Eve is generally a quiet time in the city centre, there should be more than enough going on over the next week or so to ensure a big night out. Leading the way is Manchester's newest club, Ascension (the old Planet K) which boasts Manc stalwarts 808 State on Sunday for the launch of their new album.

On Christmas Eve the Ascension Xmas bash will feature Scott Bond (Gatecrasher), Charlotte Birch (Sundissential) Brandon Block and surprise guests in the four roomed venue, with the tunes pumping from 10pm until 4am, a snip at £12!

If distance is really no object then try a little further afield: Cream is returning to its home club in Liverpool on Boxing Night for what should be a mammoth night out. Return To Nation sees Mauro Picotto Djing in the main room, plus sets from John Kelly, Guy Ornadel, Paul Bleasdale, Seb Fontaine, Jon Carter and an appearance from K-Klass - a line up that would surely make any dance music lover's Christmas list!