Manchester’s magical Christmas Parade is returning for 2025, and it’s set to be one of the most heartwarming events of the festive season.
Returning this December and now in its fourth year, the annual parade has been a favourite with Mancs since first taking place in the city in December 2022 – and this year, it’s back once again to delight children, families, and anyone young at heart when it makes its way through the city centre‘s main shopping streets.
Organisers are not just spreading the festive cheer this year, they’re also giving community groups across Greater Manchester a chance to join in and be part of the Christmas magic.
That’s right – you can be a part of the parade in 2025.
A call has gone out to community groups of all kinds to come and be part of the parade and play their part in helping fill the event with Mancunian spirit.
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Manchester City Council is hoping to make what is already the UK’s best Christmas Parade even more magical this year.
Manchester Christmas Parade will be making its way through the city centre this festive season / Credit: Manchester City Council
You can expect 2025’s parade day on Sunday 7 December to be filled with music and laughter, as well as the return of Manchester’s very-own Elf Express, complete with VIP passenger Santa hitching a ride on his way to the North Pole, together with his trusty team of elves.
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Not only that, but you can also expect also to see Nutcracker-inspired toy soldiers sweeping their way through the parade on segways whilst happy to stop and pose for saluting selfies, a roaming Christmas tree, a pair of gentle giant-sized reindeer, a stunning arctic fox, and Jack Frost himself.
Brand-new for this year will be the fantastic Festive Fantasy Candyland Castle, which stands over three-meters tall and is truly the stuff of fairytales.
Our iconic Manchester Christmas Parade returns. 🎄✨☃️
On Sunday 7 December, enjoy a free day out in the city centre as our streets are filled with festive characters, spectacular performances and magical sights.
And of course it wouldn’t be the Manchester Christmas Parade without the Snow Queen, right? Everyone’s favourite enchanting visitor will mesmerise crowds as she sits in her giant snow globe sliding her way through the city streets.
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Live bands and orchestras will be playing classic Christmas tunes, and don’t forget to watch out for plenty of pop-up festive fun around the city on the day.
“There’s nowhere that does Christmas quite like Manchester,” commented Cllr Pat Karney.
“Seeing the joy and wonder on the faces of everyone as they watch the Parade would melt even the hardest of hearts, and this year, we’re going all out to put on an unmissable show that makes memories for children and families that last a lifetime.”
Organisers are encouraging local community groups to apply to join in / Credit: Manchester City Council
This year’s Christmas Parade will follow a route that starts and ends at Manchester Cathedral, taking in many of the city centre’s main shopping streets like Deansgate, Cross Street, Market Street, and more along the way.
Exact timings of the parade will be confirmed nearer the parade date, so keep your eyes peeled.
Community groups interested in taking part are asked to make contact with parade organisers here, with the closing date for expressions of interest being Monday 27 October.
You can find more information about Christmas in Manchester here.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Christmas
Costa unveils 2025 Christmas menu – with NEW festive lattes, sweet treats, and much more
Emily Sergeant
Costa has unveiled its festive food and drink menu for 2025.
Can you believe it’s that time of year yet again? We’ve been noticing the Christmas spirit creeping in for a few weeks now, but it definitely feels like it’s here now.
The popular coffee shop chain is known and loved for its limited-edition seasonal menus each year, and now, with the countdown to the big day officially on, Costa has given fans what they’ve been waiting for as it’s unveiled its festive food and drink offering for 2025 – with a whole host of brand-new treats, as well as some returning fan favourites on the lineup.
It’s absolutely packed full of hearty soul foods and indulgent goodies to get you properly get you in a festive mood.
Costa has unveiled its 2025 Christmas menu / Credit: Costa
The star of this year’s festive drinks is the all-new Butter Pecan Cookie Latte – which is described as being ‘a delicious seasonal twist’ on a normal latte, topped with light whip and butter pecan cookie pieces to transform every coffee break into a little celebration.
Other festive drinks on the menu this year include the comebacks of three absolute Costa Christmas classics – the Gingerbread & Cream Latte, the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate, and the Black Forest Hot Chocolate.
Also returning is last year’s newest addition – the Caramel Nutcracker drinks range, available as a Hot Chocolate, Latte, and Iced Latte.
Loads of new and returning festive drinks are on the lineup / Credit: Costa
If you fancy tucking into a festive feast to go along with your limited-edition drinks, then this year’s food lineup is packed with hearty toasties and irresistible sweet treats.
For lunchtime bits, plenty of festive favourites are returning for 2025, such as the much-loved Turkey & Trimmings Toastie, Pigs & Blankets Toastie, Brie & Cranberry Toastie, Turkey Feast Sandwich, and the Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini.
For those with a sweet tooth, there’s some new indulgent cakes and biscuits too.
For those with a sweet tooth, some real fan-favourite treats are also back this year / Credit: Costa
These include the new Dubai Style Pistachio, the new Caramel Nutcracker Cookie Sandwich, and new Festive Spice Muffin, alongside classics like the Iced Penguin Gingerbread Biscuits, Berry Red Velvet Mini Loaf, Chocolate & Caramel Nutcracker Cake, Gingernut Loaf Cake, and the Festive Bakewell Tart.
Oh, and don’t forget both the All Butter Mince Pie and the Gluten-Free Vegan Mince Tarts are already back for another year too, as is the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Muffin.
The 2025 Christmas menu will be available at all Costa branches and Costa self-serve machines nationwide, and will begin its roll-out from this Friday 24th October 2025 – with some items launching in early November.
Featured Image – Costa
Christmas
The design and price for this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets mugs has been revealed
Daisy Jackson
Festive, collectible, colourful mugs are a huge staple of the Manchester Christmas Markets – and with just over a fortnight to go, the designs for 2025 have been revealed.
This year, the Manchester Christmas Mugs are a true Mancunian affair, capturing several festive landmarks in the style of a colourful toy town.
That includes illustrations of the iconic windmill bar, a huge Christmas tree, and a neat row of Christmas Markets huts, complete with traders and (of course) a gigantic bratwurst statue.
There are two types as always (a large one for coffees and hot chocolates, and a smaller for gluhwein and hot toddys), portraying the markets both by day and by night.
Every year, as thousands of visitors flock to our city for the festive celebrations, the streets are filled with wooden sheds, glittering light installations, and festive cheer.
And a big part of that is grabbing a hot chocolate or a mulled one, served in a colourful seasonal mug that’s designed by the council’s design studio.
Manchester City Council has today also revealed the price of a deposit for this year’s mugs, which you can either have back in full when you return your vessel, or sacrifice in order to take your mug home as a souvenir.
The mugs will be available at all 10 market locations from opening day on Friday 7 November, while stocks last (and they have sold out in the previous three years).
The design and price for the Manchester Christmas Markets mugs 2025 has been revealed. Credit: Manchester City Council
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “Top marks once again to our fantastic designers for coming up with yet another brilliant design for our iconic Christmas mugs which we know people are going to absolutely love, this year depicting Manchester in all its twinkly pretty-as-a-picture festive glory at Christmas – it’s even snowing!
“Over the years our Christmas mugs have become truly the stuff of legend and are very much sought after – including by Santa himself, who refuses to set off on his journey swooping through the night skies of Manchester on Christmas Eve until he’s eaten his mince pie and downed his hot chocolate in its souvenir Christmas mug that we leave out for him every year on the roof of Central Library. He must have quite the collection of mugs by now at home in the North Pole!
“Don’t be like Santa though and think you can leave it ’til Christmas Eve to get hold of a mug. Come down and join us well before then at our world-famous Christmas Markets and celebrate the festive season with us here in the best city in the world, in true Manchester style!”
Manchester’s Christmas Markets will open at ten locations across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December, except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.
Christmas in Manchester will also see the Skate Manchester Ice Rink in Cathedral Gardens open for Christmas skaters from Friday 7 November until Sunday 4 January, and the magical Manchester Christmas Parade which will take place on Sunday 7 December.
Emily Sergeant -
17th October 2025 
