The Manchester Christmas Markets have landed for another year, with wooden huts popping up all over the city centre – including an expansive offering at Piccadilly Gardens.
For the third year, the main hub of the Christmas Markets has had to shift away from its traditional home outside the Town Hall on Albert Square.
Instead, the festivities are centred around Piccadilly Gardens once again, which has undergone a big makeover for the occasion to become the Winter Gardens.
Last year, large wooden platforms were built across the central square, hosting a range of food and drink traders.
The temporary structure was never actually taken down from last year (will we ever see the fountains again?) but has been extended and improved for 2022’s Christmas Markets.
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Winter Gardens now splits into several zones, so it can simultaneously be a Nordic-style rustic tipi, a traditional German market, a Japanese apres-ski hub and a scrapyard-style street food hub.
For the first time, huge tipis have been erected, giving the much-maligned Piccadilly Gardens an air of Scandi festivities.
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You’ll find roaring fires, hot tipples and evening entertainment.
The iconic wooden windmill bar is in place here too, decorated as always with giant wooden dolls.
Then the two wooden platforms have been turned into sheltered food and drink hubs, lined with street food stalls and bars.
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The apres-ski area at Winter Gardens, the Christmas Markets hub at Piccadilly Gardens. Credit: The Manc Group
One half is Dock 53, where rusted shipping containers have been stacked up as a huge bar and a live music stage dominates one side.
Cosy seating areas have been built out of wooden pallets, decorated with pine branches and giant baubles.
One corner has been turned into a modern apres-ski inspired area, complete with coloured lights, piste maps, and even actual skis piled up by the door.
When it comes to the food and drink, Piccadilly Gardens is the main hub this year, and has welcomed in some Christmas Markets firsts.
Local favourites Parmageddon and Oi Dumplings have both taken up pitches for the first time, while hit trader Panc Foods is back for a second year with its plant-based bratwursts and burgers.
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There’s also a huge Manchester Winter Ale House selling cask ales from local breweries like JW Lees, alongside hot drinks like boozy Vimto (made with gin or rum).
Featured image: The Manc Group
Christmas
Elf the Musical is coming to Manchester for a massive Christmas arena show – promising affordable tickets for families
Daisy Jackson
Elf the Musical has announced a huge arena tour of the UK this Christmas, including THREE massive shows in Manchester.
The musical, based on the festive favourite film, will be stopping off at the AO Arena just before Christmas, before heading on to arenas in Leeds, Newcastle and Brighton.
The blockbuster film stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, a human raised by Santa Claus and his elves, who travels to New York City to find his real father – with hilarious and heartwarming consequences.
The Hollywood hit was turned into Elf the Musical, a supersized live arena spectacular with a mobile stage that travels the auditorium and a massive main stage with film backdrops on a huge LED screen.
Audiences can expect everything from an audience snowball fight to an indoor snowstorm, as well as witnessing Santa’s flying sleigh, following a giant candy cane journey from the North Pole.
Aerial cirque artists will bring all of the action to life as part of a huge cast of performers.
A still from Elf the movie. Credit: Warner Brothers
Elf the Musical promises to be the biggest live Christmas show in the UK when it tours this winter.
West End star Steven Serlin will be stepping into the lead role of Buddy the Elf, with other cast members including Birds of a Feather actor Charlie Quirke (as Buddy’s NYC pal), Charlotte Hall (as love interest Jovie), and Barry Bloxham (as Buddy’s dad).
The original score has been written by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin and has already delighted audiences on Broadway and the West End.
Producer and director Jon Conway says: “This is the fourth year we have presented this epic version of the Broadway and Hollywood hit as part of the World’s Biggest Pantomime brand.
🆕 // JUST ANNOUNCED
🧝 #ELF, the hit Hollywood blockbuster movie has been supersized into a live arena spectacular for this Christmas!
🎫 Tickets will be available from Friday 21 April at 10am.
“Elf is always one of the most popular Christmas films and ‘Buddy The Elf’ a truly iconic character. We are returning to some venues and have made the show even bigger and better with new features to make it a really thrilling experience.
“We are keenly aware of the economic climate and are one of the few shows to have reduced our prices from Elf’s last visit for an affordable family outing!
“One of the best sights is the audiences dressing up for the show, especially the dads in elf Christmas sweaters! This is an unmissable Xmas treat.”
Elf the Musical will be at the AO Arena with two shows on 23 December (12pm and 4pm) and another on 24 December at 10am. Tickets are on pre-sale now at Ticketmaster.
Featured image: Publicity picture
Christmas
Manchester City Council confirm New Year’s Eve party at Piccadilly Gardens – but there’ll be no fireworks
Daisy Jackson
Manchester WILL have a New Year’s Eve countdown party, but rising costs will mean there’s no fireworks again this year.
Manchester City Council has today confirmed its plans for New Year’s Eve in the city centre.
The platform splits into two areas, a bar space and a family-friendly, zero-alcohol viewing platform.
The evening will consist of DJ sets and a countdown to midnight displayed on a big screen.
In previous years, the Council has arranged a huge fireworks display, previously at the Town Hall but in more recent years at the Cathedral.
Piccadilly Gardens will host the New Year’s Eve celebrations – pictured here when it was home to the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
But this year they say they ‘simply cannot justify’ the expense when budgets are stretched so thin.
Instead, the council plans to use its limited resources for free community events year-round, like the recent Christmas Parade.
Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “We know that New Year’s Eve is a special night – one that everyone looks forward to – and we are all disappointed that we can’t go ahead with our usual fireworks this year.
“Unfortunately, we simply cannot justify the increasing costs of putting on a big display while also worrying about funding essential Council services.
“We believe that we should use the limited funding we have to put on free events in communities throughout the year and we look forward to seeing more of this in the coming months.
“But we couldn’t let New Year’s Eve go by without a true Mancunian countdown. So join us before midnight in Piccadilly Gardens and help us bring in 2023 in style.”
Both spaces will be limited capacity and will be closed once they are full.
Daisy Jackson -
10th November 2022 
