The opening dates and all-important details of the return of Manchester’s “world-beating” Christmas Markets for 2024 have now been confirmed.
It’s official… holidays are coming, and the countdown is on.
Just as we do every year, the Greater Manchester public has been eagerly awaiting news of when the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be making a comeback for the 2024 festive season, especially as it was already confirmed last week that the massive outdoor ice rink would be returning to Cathedral Gardens for another year.
But now, Manchester City Council is announced that the famous wooden huts will be lining Manchester‘s streets once again from the first week in November.
Now in their 26th year, Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for delights local residents and visiting shoppers alike, bringing thousands of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.
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The Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: Flickr
Well over two hundred stalls will be spread across nine sites throughout the city centre this year.
Promising to be plenty on offer for seasonal shoppers of all ages, 2024 will see the iconic wooden ski chalet market stalls take over King Street West, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, and Cathedral Gardens, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens as usual.
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The stalls will be open daily from 10am – 8pm throughout the six-week run, the Council has confirmed, with food and drink stalls staying open until 9pm.
Due to the ways that the dates fall this year, 2024’s Markets run actually includes seven weekends instead of the usual six, before they officially wrap-up for Christmas at 6pm on Sunday 22 December.
The food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens, however, will stay open until 31 December.
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Festive cheer will soon be lining the city centre streets once again / Credit: Manchester City Council
Of course, it’s not just the Christmas Markets that are returning for 2024, as the Council has also confirmed that Manchester’s now-famous Christmas Lights Trail is set to make the city centre look its sparkly best for another year, as will the annual Manchester Christmas Parade in December, and, as previously mentioned, Skate Manchester will be back in Cathedral Gardens until the new year too.
“Everyone knows by now that Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and Manchester is my favourite place in the world to be during the festive season,” Cllr Pat Karney said as the Christmas Markets opening dates were confirmed for 2024.
“Christmas is going to be wonderful in Manchester this year, with enough seasonal stalls across the city in our best-ever Christmas Markets to make sure that everyone gets their Christmas wrapped before the big day.”
Manchester Christmas Markets return for 2024 on Friday 8 November, and will run right through until Sunday 22 December.
Stalls in selected locations will remain open until the new year.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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New images released of Piccadilly Gardens as transformation plans take a big step forward
Daisy Jackson
Plans to transform Piccadilly Gardens to make them more ‘colourful, vibrant and safe’ have taken a big step forward today, with new images released.
Manchester City Council has shared the vision to the public ahead of a planning application being submitted this summer.
The plans to finally give Piccadilly Gardens some love were revealed last autumn, but things are now moving at pace with a delivery team appointed to design and build the new public space.
The new images show the vision for more green space, including lawns, trees, planting, seating, and colourful horticultural displays.
The temperamental fountains will also be removed for good, replaced with a new space called The Pavilion which will host family-friendly events.
The low concrete walls and raised planters at the edge of the gardens will be ripped out, improving the setting of the Queen Victoria statue.
There’ll be a new, larger playground for younger children, created in the same high quality style as the new parks at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.
A pre-planning consultation has started today and will run until Wednesday 15 July, with plans to submit the final planning application later this summer.
The new-look play area at Piccadilly GardensPlans for the new Piccadilly Gardens from above
The council has said that these new designs reflect feedback from the public and opinions on what we want to see at the new Piccadilly Gardens.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “We’re getting on with sorting out Piccadilly Gardens. We all want to see a space which Mancunians can be proud of – a welcoming and attractive environment which people want to spend time in.
“So as well other initiatives which are delivering more police and more CCTV, we’re bringing forward this scheme to transform the public space. That means investment in more flowers, more greenery, a new welcome pavilion, a new and bigger playground and an altogether more inviting Piccadilly Gardens. A bright new chapter is just around the corner.”
Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd September 2024 
