There’s no escaping the Christmas spirit around Manchester these days, with baubles and twinkly lights and tinsel practically bursting out of buildings all over town.
With Christmas right around the corner, local restaurants, shops, bars and hotels have wheeled out their decorations, and they’re taking it very seriously indeed.
Artistic installations are now wrapped around doorways and spilling off windowsills all over the city centre.
From Rosso’s legendary decorations to fairytale characters, there are loads of stunning displays to admire in Manchester this year.
You can watch our video tour here or keep reading for all you need to know.
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And if you’re feeling festive, you can turn the whole thing into a pub crawl. Because why not.
Selfridges
Selfridges’ Christmas decorations in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupSelfridges’ Christmas decorations in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
You really need to see the Selfridges decorations in the flesh to get the full impact of the effort that’s gone in here.
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Channeling a seriously disco Christmas, they’ve erected a huge gold mirrored wall around the entrance that shifts and shimmers in the wind, as well as a tree made out of felt brussels sprouts.
Grab a drink at…
Sinclair’s Oyster bar, the legendary local boozer still serving some of the cheapest pints in Manchester.
Royal Exchange Arcade
It’s not just a pretty display at the Royal Exchange this year – it’s also got a big social community impact.
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Local school children and communities were invited to make decorations for the trees that line the arcade, to raise awareness and funds for Manchester’s homeless as part of the Baubles 4 Beds campaign.
Grab a drink at…
Corbieres, an underground wine bar with a great jukebox that’s been a staple of Manchester’s bar scene for as long as we can remember.
Stock Exchange Hotel
Gary Neville’s luxury hotel in the centre of Manchester, regularly voted as one of the best in the world, has a suitably lavish Christmas vibe going on.
Thousands of tiny red berries, plus pine branches sprayed gold and shimmering red baubles, have been installed around its historic entrance.
Grab a drink at…
Sterling, the bar based in a bank vault beneath the hotel. It’s operated by the renowned bartender brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield, who are also set to take over the restaurant space next year.
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Hotel Gotham
Five-star Hotel Gotham has easily one of the most creative displays we’ve seen this year, with huge toy soldiers standing watch on either side of the door.
They’re surrounded by pink and gold baubles and tonnes of foliage too.
Grab a drink at…
Blinker, the cocktail bar that’s made it into the UK’s 50 Best just six months after opening. You’ll find an entire menu of old fashioneds and another of martinis.
Rosso
Rosso’s prominent position at the very top of King Street means that there’s a lot of pressure on it to look fabulous and festive.
They’ve nailed it once again this year, covering the entire building in fairy lights and crafting a gigantic tree-shaped installation into the wall. Amazing.
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Grab a drink at…
Mr Thomas’s Chop House, the historic and very cosy pub on Cross Street which will lead you neatly on to our next stop.
Piccolino
Sometimes a classic colour scheme and a bucket load of baubles can create a serious impact – as per Piccolino’s 2022 efforts.
The baubles are interspersed with sprigs of holly, gold leaves, mistletoe and general glittering decorations.
Grab a drink at…
Salt Dog Slims, the underground dive bar that has a big Christmas secret in store for you…
Albert’s Schloss
Christmas decorations at Albert’s Schloss in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupChristmas decorations at Albert’s Schloss in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
One of Manchester’s most popular bars has a frequently-changing display around its entrance on Peter Street.
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For Christmas, they’ve opted for a pair of ENORMOUS pine trees, adorned with red ribbons and twinkling lights.
Grab a drink at…
Erm, Albert’s Schloss… Well you’re already at one of the best bars in Manchester, so what’s the point in looking anywhere else?
Get ready for round-the-clock entertainment and a seriously lively atmosphere in this bohemian bier palace.
Richmond Tea Rooms
Richmond Tea Rooms has leant right into its charming Alice in Wonderland theme this Christmas, installing a life-size Alice cut-out reaching into a Christmas tree.
On the other side, you might spot the familiar features of the Cheshire Cat grinning through the branches too.
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Grab a drink at…
You’re spoilt for choice here with all of Canal Street at your disposal. Or for a more relaxed vibe, walk over to Nell’s New York Pizza bar at Kampus.
San Carlo
This might be our favourite installation of the year. San Carlo heard baubles and said ‘yes please’.
Thousands of rainbow-coloured baubles are bursting out of a giant Christmas cracker above its door and winding around the windows. It’s so creative.
Grab a drink at…
Crazy Pedro’s is a local favourite for a reason – especially if you catch it during happy hour.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Christmas
Christmas WILL return to Albert Square this year, Manchester City Council confirms
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s Christmas activities will finally make a return to Albert Square for the first time since 2019, the council has confirmed.
The beautiful square in the heart of the city has been largely closed off for the last few years while the Town Hall is carefully restored, in a project known as Our Town Hall.
Before that it was the beating heart of the city every winter, filled with wooden huts for the Manchester Christmas Markets and overlooked by the giant light-up Santa.
Now, Manchester City Council has confirmed that ‘most of’ Albert Square will be made available this year to support this year’s Christmas programme.
There’s been no mention of the city’s biggest festive event, the Manchester Christmas Markets, but rather plenty of hints of ‘Christmas events’.
The latest report on the Our Town Hall project says that works on the the transformed and enlarged square will be ‘resequenced and accelerated’ so the Albert Square can be ready for a ‘welcome winter return’.
More details of the festive attraction will be shared later in the year.
The skilled contractors working on the Town Hall are now 80% of the way through the ‘construction’ phase, with completion currently pencilled in for August 2026.
Albert Square in Manchester will host Christmas events again in 2025. Credit: The Manc Group
When it reopens, it will include a new free visitor attraction which will open up the Town Hall’s history to the public.
Deputy Council Leader Councillor Garry Bridges said: “We know Mancunians and visitors alike are looking forward to having their town hall and their civic square back and better than ever and it’s great that we can now look ahead to that.
“We are developing a civic square to rival the best in Europe and it will be exciting to see it pilot Christmas events this year ahead of a full permanent opening next year.
“We look forward over the course of this year to announcing more details about Christmas in Albert Square and how people in Manchester can help us celebrate the reopening of their magnificent town hall.
“We’ve overcome so many challenges to get to this point and while the unique nature of the project is such that some inevitably still remain, we believe the end result will be something special.”
The Our Town Hall report will be considered by the Council’s Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee when it meets on Thursday 6 March.
The project is continuing to operate within its revised £429 million budget, adjusted in October last year, but some residual risks remain. A further update report will be brought forward this summer once negotiations with the management contractor have concluded and the completion date is confirmed.
Gavin and Stacey Christmas special on course to break UK TV viewing figures record
Danny Jones
Gavin and Stacey is set to break yet another TV record as this year’s Christmas special and definitive series finale has become one of the UK’s most-watched scripted shows ever.
The iconic British comedy returned after a long hiatus to finally conclude the series with its first new episode in five years.
Delighting die-hard fans and comedy fans in general all over the country, millions tuned in to watch the last-ever Gavin and Stacey chapter – over 19 million, in fact.
With 12.3m watching the finale on Christmas Day alone and even more in the week following, the tally has now reached approximately 19.3m and counting.
📢 Gavin & Stacey: The Finale has become the UK’s highest rating scripted show with 19.3 million viewers and counting
Not only did this smash their own previous record of more than 18m set by the last Christmas special back in 2019 but it is well on course to cruise past the 20m mark when the official seven-day viewing figures are released, which is standard practice for assessing final ratings and viewing figures in the UK.
Almost a quarter of the viewers who helped achieve the feat were aged 16-34 as well, making it the largest young audience ever, according to the BBC.
The emotional reunion of the beloved cast looks set to see them surpass Coronation Street‘s record of 19.4m set in 2003 and could even see them beat the legendary British sitcom, Only Fools & Horses, which saw 21.3m viewers gather around the box for their 2001 Christmas day episode.
So, although the BBC states that it is the “most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since current records began in 2002”, it still technically has a little way to go in order to match/surpass the biggest-ever tally.
That being said, when factoring in the stats from all live views and digital streams, the final numbers should see them over the line.
We had to be together to watch it go out tonight!Gavin and Stacey is a show about friendship and family. Tonight’s show has been a labour of love from start to finish and we hope you enjoy it.Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.Happy Christmas from us both #GavinandStaceypic.twitter.com/kUKMiXUEyL
Regardless of whatever seven or indeed 28-day figure they end up on, co-creators, writers and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones have been blown away by the success of the one-off comeback.
Writing by way of recognition and as a thank you to the fans, they said: “We are completely overwhelmed by the audience response to our show and to these astonishing viewing figures.
“Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas. A huge thank you to Charlotte Moore and the BBC for backing us these past 17 years.”
The ratings and overall reaction to the show have also been overwhelmingly positive, with millions tearing up over the long-awaited storyline – even if some of those watching pointed out one little problem…
Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, went on to add: “The numbers are truly outstanding, unprecedented even! It’s the show the entire nation has been talking about over the last week so it’s no surprise that it’s not only smashed its own record but has become the UK’s biggest scripted show.
“Ruth and James’ creation is a true homegrown success story, and their finale is a comedy masterpiece. It’s made us laugh and cry together in a way that only Gavin & Stacey can.”
The final viewership for the 2024 special will be published on Monday, 6 January and take into account viewings across all platforms up to Thursday, 2 Jan – they already look destined for another entry in the history books.
Daisy Jackson -
14th December 2022 
