Christmas

Manchester set for its ‘best-ever Christmas’ as all 2024 Market locations confirmed

More than 200 stalls will line the streets.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 7th October 2024

Manchester is gearing up for its “best-ever Christmas”, as all the locations for this year’s Christmas Markets have now been confirmed.

In case you missed it, Manchester City Council announced the news we had all been waiting for a couple of weeks back by revealing that the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be returning for 2024 from the first week of November – with well over 200 stalls set to line the streets as the beloved event enters is 26th year.

Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for delighting local residents and visiting shoppers alike, bringing millions of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.

And it’s now only a month to go until the big opening day on Friday 8 November.

It had already been revealed that King Street West, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, and Cathedral Gardens would all be hosting the festivities this year, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens as usual, but now, the Council has shared a break-down of what stalls shoppers can find in each location.

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Here’s everything you need to know.

Manchester is preparing for its “best-ever Christmas” / Credit: Manchester City Council

Winter Gardens

Piccadilly Gardens will, once again, be transformed into Winter Gardens for 2024, but this year, it’s set to be bigger and better than ever – with two twinkling light-filled marquees providing more undercover space for Christmas shoppers, and all the festive food favourites back for another year, plus bars serving continental and foreign ales.

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Live entertainment and music will also be on offer beneath the shelter of marquees each day, making it an ideal place to cosy up with family and friends.

Market Street

Even more stalls than usual are to be expected on Market Street in 2024, so keep head on down there for sellers showcasing a wide range of bespoke crafts, gifts, and produce – with everything from tweed hats, spiced rum and Christmas decorations, to candles, freshly-baked coconut macaroons, jewellery, cheese truckles, and so much more on offer.

Cathedral Gardens

As always, Cathedral Gardens will be home to Skate Manchester’s huge covered ice rink, which will be open daily, but not only that, there’ll also be free live entertainment hosted every Thursday to Sunday all the way up to New Year’s Eve.

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Plus, you can even warm up with authentic crepes, gourmet hotdogs, hot chocolate, and much more at the collection of food and drink stalls.

Manchester Christmas Markets return for 2024 on Friday 8 November / Credit: Flickr

New Cathedral Street

Just like it is all year round, New Cathedral Street will be your go-to spot for high-end gifts and foodie favourites this year, so expect a selection of handmade candles, ceramics, local spirits, and thoughtful keepsakes, before you savour a cold beer and currywurst from The Witch House, or a hearty burrito from Wrap Up, once your shopping’s done.

Exchange Square

Exchange Square will be one of the largest market locations in the city in 2024.

Here Christmas shoppers will find a host of seasonal stalls selling everything from clothing and soaps, to boutique babywear, local crafts, and handmade gifts, as well as legendary The Mill Exchange with their Mancunian mulled wine, much-loved Yorkshire pudding wrap experts Porky Pig, and lots of other food traders serving hot curries, mini pancakes, and more.

The Corn Exchange

You’ll find some of the most unique gifts available from crafters at The Corn Exchange this year, so head on down here for homemade pies, Nepalese woollen jumpers, handmade jewellery, Christmas decorations made from recycled wood, artisan chocolates, and loads more.

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St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street

If you make your way over to St Ann’s Square and the neighbouring Exchange Street, which were the sites of Manchester’s first-ever Christmas Market, you can cosy up for a drink in the undercover bar and enjoy a selection of authentic German goods from some of the city’s longest-standing traders.

This is where you’ll find Northern Quarter favourites, Yard and Coop.

More than 200 stalls will line the streets / Credit: Manchester City Council

King Street

King Street is a must-visit for foodies and shoppers alike, as you can expect to find authentic Italian deli, Ballaro, serving up fresh cannelloni and arancini, and El Gato Negro bringing some Mediterranean menu flavours to their seating area, as well as a wide range of stalls selling crafts and more.

Here you’ll find the always-popular French soap stall, personalised tree decorations, handmade wooden furniture, and beautifully-illustrated bottles from local distillery, Salford Rum.

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Manchester Christmas Markets will return from Friday 8 November.

Stalls will be open daily from 10am – 8pm throughout the six-week run, with food and drink stalls staying open until 9pm, until it all officially wraps up on Sunday 23 December – except for stalls in Cathedral Gardens, which will remain open until New Year’s Eve.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

Christmas

Manchester’s Heaton Park to host dazzling new immersive light trail this winter

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Northern Lights

Heaton Park will be transformed into a glowing world of wonder as one of the UK’s most celebrated festive light trails makes its Manchester debut.

Once the sun goes down this winter, visitors will be able step into an immersive world of light and sound as Northern Lights – the acclaimed light trail from the team behind established music festivals Kendal Calling and Bluedot- will be descending on our city’s largest park, and bringing a breathtaking festive experience for all ages along with it.

Already a hit in other major northern cities such as Leeds and Newcastle, and in the Welsh capital Cardiff, Northern Lights has captured national attention with its cinematic visuals, choreographed soundscapes, and festive atmosphere. 

The mile-long route will feature up to 12 large-scale installations, each synchronised to bespoke soundtracks creating a 90-minute experience like no other.

Winding through Heaton Park’s iconic grounds, visitors will encounter glowing tunnels, enchanted glades, and a stunning illuminated lake scene, all designed to spark wonder as the magical festive season arrives.

“We’re putting together an experience that is completely new and unlike anything seen on the park before,” explained Roxy Robinson, who is the Creative Director at From the Fields, ahead of the trail arriving this November. 

“Our goal is to create a magical evening out that feels joyful, atmospheric, and a little bit extraordinary, and we want people to step into a different world for 90 minutes and leave with huge smiles on their faces.”

Manchester will be hosting a dazzling new immersive light trail this winter / Credit: Supplied

Alongside the trail, there’ll also be a ‘Christmas Village’ serving up mulled wine, hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows, and street food from Manchester’s finest independent traders, alongside vintage fairground rides, and open fire pits to complete the winter vibes.

Northern Lights is not only one of the UK’s most successful festive light events, but it’s also one of the most accessible, as the Manchester trail will be fully accessible for wheelchair users and prams once it arrives this winter, following hard paths, ramps, and matted areas, with no steps in sight.

On top of this, there’ll also be dedicated quiet sessions for neurodivergent visitors, and the chance to get wristbands allowing queue-jumping for those with additional needs.

Northern Lights
Heaton Park will be transformed into a glowing world of wonder once the sun sets / Credit: Supplied

Northern Lights will arrive at Heaton Park later this year from 20 November – 31 December 2025, with timed entry slots every 15 minutes from 4:15pm up until 8:15pm (times may vary during off-peak days), and tickets going on sale from 3 June – with prices starting at £15 for adults, £5 for children aged three and up, and under threes going free.

‘Early bird’ registration is now open though, meaning you can get 20% off tickets for a limited time only, and even be in with a chance of winning a family pass and £50 spending voucher.

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Find out more and sign up for tickets here.

Featured Image – Supplied

Christmas

Christmas WILL return to Albert Square this year, Manchester City Council confirms

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Albert Square in Manchester will host Christmas events again in 2025

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
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.

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Featured image: Geograph, David Dixon

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