Christmas

Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 mug design and price revealed

Last year's mugs were so popular the markets literally ran out of them

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 2nd November 2023

The design for the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 mug has been revealed – along with how much it’ll cost you.

There’s a small price hike for the cups this year, with the cost of a mug rising from £3 to £3.50.

When you buy your first hot drink at the Manchester Christmas Markets you’ll be charged a £3.50 deposit for your mug – it’s then up to you whether you keep the mug and lose the deposit, or return it to the bar and get your money back.

The mugs are a popular collectible souvenir every year though, with last year’s demand so great the Christmas Markets actually ran out of them and had to resort to using retro mugs from previous years.

This year’s design features festive Nutcracker artwork with a Scandi feel, and comes from Manchester City Council’s in-house design studio.

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As always, there are two different mug designs and sizes to collect – a large white mug for hot chocolates, and a smaller navy one for mulled wine and other warming boozy beverages.

They’ll be available at all of the city centre Manchester Christmas Markets locations from 10 November, while stocks last.

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The council is urging people not to leave their visit until the last minute for fear of mugs selling out again, saying that in 2022 us festive lot got through a whopping 140,000 specially produced mugs.

Extra Christmas Market mugs have been ordered for 2023 though, with 170,000 speeding their way to Manchester’s cosy wooden huts as we speak.

The Manchester Christmas Markets mug design for 2023
The Manchester Christmas Markets mug design for 2023
The Manchester Christmas Markets mug design for 2023
The Manchester Christmas Markets mug design for 2023. Credit: Supplied

A few mugs are already in circulation at the ice rink in Cathedral Gardens, where a few festive market stalls have already opened.

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Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester City Council’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “Our iconic Christmas mugs are the must-have accessory of the festive season and absolutely no social media feed should be without one!

“With different designs every year the collectible mugs are highly sought after and even have Santa’s seal of approval. Don’t leave it too late to come and get yours!

“No-one does Christmas quite like Manchester and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Santa’s favourite city and to our world-beating Christmas Markets again this year!”

Manchester’s Christmas markets open on Friday 10 November and close on Thursday 21 December.

They will be open daily at the following times:

  • All craft stalls 10 am – 8 pm
  • All bars and food stalls 11 am – 9 pm

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Featured image: Manchester City Council

Christmas

The Pogues announce Manchester gig on first tour since death of frontman Shane MacGowan

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Pogues announce first tour since the death of Shane MacGowan

The Pogues have announced their first UK tour since the death of former frontman, Shane MacGowan, with Manchester one of just half a dozen cities chosen.

Nearly a full year on from his death at just 65, the Anglo-Irish favourites best known for their eternal Christmas classic, ‘Fairytale of New York’, are gearing up for their first outing since their iconic lead singer’s passing as a celebration of his life and their seminal second album.

It’s been 13 years since their last headline tour shortly before their split and it will be 40 years since the release of Rum Sodomy and the Lash by the time they hit the road along with special guests.

Safe to say it’ll be an emotional series of shows for everyone involved.

Revealing just six shows here in the UK, the long-standing band are set to play their sophomore release in full as well as a selection of their greatest hits.

The tour will feature remaining original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Peter Richard ‘Spider’ Stacy, as well as a series of support that are yet to be confirmed.

Speaking on the upcoming dates, The Pogues said: “After the uproarious bash which was the 40th anniversary of our first record, Red Roses for Me, in 2024, we wanted to do it again, but with Rum Sodomy & the Lash.”

The music veterans are remaining tight-lipped about who they’re bringing along but they have promised their selections have been “thoughtfully chosen”.

With MacGowan, lead guitarist Philip Chevron (2013), bassist Darryl Hunt (2022) and long-time collaborator Kirsty MacColl (2000) now having passed away, the band will be roping in plenty of help on vocals and instrumentation.

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Even though the gigs themselves will be coming at the of next spring, you can rest assured you’ll get to hear your beloved festive ballad.

Kicking off the tour in Leeds, The Pogues will play their first Manchester show in over a decade – and without Shane MacGowan front and centre – at the O2 Apollo on Wednesday, 7 May 2025.

General admission will be available from 9:30am on Friday, 22 November but you can access pre-sale by registering via their website by 5pm this Tuesday (19 November).

Get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Mordac (via Flickr)

Christmas

Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.

At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.

Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.

Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.

The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.

A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.

The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.

It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.

Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group

The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.

According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.

These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.

There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.

The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.

The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr

Ged sold 6,000 a week.

And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).

Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.

The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Manchester has been named one of the top winter destinations in Europe. Credit: The Manc Group

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