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.
The best Christmas Markets in the UK are back in Manchester for another year! 🎊🎄
In just over a month, we'll be bringing our famous festivities to the city centre. 🥂
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.
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
The most magical Christmas displays have now landed at one of the North West’s best garden centres
Emily Sergeant
Christmas has officially arrived at one of the best garden centres in the North West, and it’s just as magical as you’d hope it would be.
Just outside of Greater Manchester in the village of Glazebury in Warrington, you’ll find Bents Garden and Home – a multi award-winning destination garden centre that’s often voted one of the region’s best. It’s great place to visit all year round, but as anyone who has ever made the trip there will tell you, this place really comes alive during the festive season.
Bents first started out life all the way back in 1937, when Alfred and Margaret Bent began growing and selling roses in the front garden of their terraced house in Glazebury.
Ever since then, the business has gone from strength to strength – opening its first dedicated garden centre building in the early 1950s, and then undergoing several expansions in the 60 years that followed to create the place we know and love today.
A place that’s home to everything you need to kit out your home and garden, several cafes and restaurants, a food hall, a cook shop, a children’s boutique, and plenty more.
Christmas has arrived at Bents Garden and Home for 2026 / Credit: The Manc Group
And then at Christmas time, you can also get to wander around all the magical festive displays and stop for a bite to eat at the winter food markets.
Christmas at Bents originally began in the 1970s, establishing what would become one of the garden centre’s most successful – and favourite – times of the year, with people travelling in their thousands from all across the North West to visit, making it an annual tradition in the festive events calendar for many families.
With a jaw-dropping display to suit everyone’s festive decor tastes, Christmas at Bents really does need to be seen to be believed.
Expertly decorated trees form the centrepiece of each display, with all the baubles and decorations adorning them for sale by the side for you to recreate yourself at home.
Walking around the centre, you’ll also find every type of artificial tree (both normal and pre-lit), an array of fairy lights, wreaths, and garlands, before you arrive at what is sure to be one of the best Christmas Lemax Model Village set-ups you’ve probably ever seen.
A trip to Bents is an annual festive tradition for thousands across the North West / Credit: The Manc Group
Then, once you’ve filled your basket up with all the decs you need, you have to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before you head home.
There’s a wide array of different street food options to choose from like bratwursts, giant filled Yorkshire puddings, loaded fries, nachos, mac and cheese, crepes, churros, and build-your-own crumble, before taking a pew in one of the little wooden huts and washing it all down with festive-themed hot chocolates and mulled wine.
Don’t forget to stop off at the food hall, farm shop, and deli counters to stock up on plenty of goodies there before you leave too.
Basically, if you’ve never been to Bents before, we honestly cannot recommend it enough – even more so during Christmas time.
Don’t forget to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before heading home / Credit: The Manc Group
But it is really important to note that it does get very busy here, especially on weekends and at peak times like the run up to Christmas.
So you may have to be prepared to patiently wait for parking spaces and cooperate with your fellow shoppers, as well as join queues at the cafes and restaurants, all while respecting the hard-working staff at all times.
Let’s be as respectful as possible, and make this a place where everyone can enjoy a magical festive experience in 2026.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink confirmed for a return this festive season with tickets NOW on sale
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s massive outdoor ice rink has been confirmed for a return to Cathedral Gardens once again this festive season.
Skate Manchester has always been a festive staple of our city centre, and 2026 is set to be absolutely no different.
Families, friends, and festive fun seekers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
Off the back of a hugely successful 2025 season, there will be a specially curated programme of events this year too, including themed nights, competitions, and inclusive skate sessions designed for an accessible and enjoyable experience for as many people as possible.
And if you’re not too confident on the ice, the rink will also offer a variety of skate sessions that are tailored to meet the needs of all visitors too.
This includes dedicated quiet and toddler sessions to create a more relaxed skating environment.
Discounted tickets and weekly events will also be on offer too, meaning students can skate for just £10 on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, families can enjoy dedicated Parents & Mini Skater sessions in the same period, and group discounts will also be available for larger bookings.
There will also be £5 Community and school sessions, free skating for children on selected Tuesdays, accessible SEND sessions, and 20% off for Blue Light workers.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink is confirmed for a return this festive season / Credit: Supplied
“Skate Manchester has established itself as the highest Google-rated rink in the UK, located in the heart of Manchester next to the world-renowned Christmas Markets – it’s the perfect way to enjoy a Mancunian Christmas,” commented Rob Derry, who is the Director at Tamarisk Events – the coordinator of Skate Manchester.
Skate Manchester will open to the public from Friday 6 November 2026 until Sunday 3 January 2027, excluding Christmas Day.
From 6 November to 6 December, the rink will be open daily from 11am to 9pm, and then from 7 January onwards, opening hours will extend from 10am to 9pm – with all skating sessions lasting 45 minutes.
Emily Sergeant -
7th October 2024 
