News

Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 dates and opening times

Festive cheer will soon be lining the city centre streets once again.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 15th September 2023

It’s that time of year again – the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 are on the way, with dates and opening times confirmed.

It’s one of the biggest events in the city’s calendar, drawing in thousands of visitors every year eager to sip on mulled wine and scoff down bratwursts.

Things are about to get pretty festive in Manchester, as the return date for the city’s legendary Christmas Markets this year has been announced to spread some cheer right across the city centre.

Manchester City Council has confirmed the date for the annual event’s return, as well as all the locations around town.

So if you’re wondering what date the Manchester Christmas Markets will return, you’ll be pleased to know there’s not long left to wait.

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The Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: Flickr

When do the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 start?

The Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 will make their grand return on Friday 10 November.

This means that the city centre’s main hubs and streets, including Exchange Square, St Ann’s Square, King Street, and Market Street, will be lined with wooden huts right selling festive food, handmade gifts, and so much more before we know it.

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Cathedral Gardens is once again playing host to the iconic Ice Rink, with a range of food and drink stalls alongside it, and that’s already open for business. That Christmas Markets site started on Thursday 26 October.

How long are the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 on for and what date do they close?

The Manchester Christmas Markets will be open for six weeks this year, between 10 November and 21 December.

But the Cathedral Gardens site, which is home to the ice rink, will remain open right through to Sunday 31 December.

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That’s plenty of time to get to grips with all 225 stalls across nine sites.

What are the opening and closing times for the Manchester Christmas Markets 2023?

These are the opening and closing times for each of the Manchester Christmas Markets sites:

  • Piccadilly Gardens, aka The Winter Gardens – Open daily from 10am to 9pm (street food stalls open until 6pm, craft stalls open until 8pm)
  • King Street – Open daily 10am to 9pm (Craft stall open until 8pm)
  • St Ann’s Square – Open daily 10am to 8pm
  • New Cathedral Street – Open daily 10am to 8pm
  • Exchange Square and Corn Exchange – Open daily 10am to 9pm (Craft stalls open until 8pm)
  • Market Street – Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm. Open until 6pm on Sundays
  • Cathedral Gardens – Open daily 10am to 9pm (Craft stalls open until 8pm)

Confirming the Christmas Markets’ return, Councillor Pat Karney, who is Manchester City Council’s Christmas spokesperson, told the MEN: “With the last rays of summer sun now fading fast, it’s time to track down the tinsel and get ready for Manchester’s favourite time of the year.

“And with only 8 weeks to go until the opening of Manchester’s world-famous Christmas markets it will be glühwein and bratwurst time before we know it.

“Mark it on your calendars with 10 November – Christmas starts here.”

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2022 Manchester Christmas Markets Guide
Festive cheer will soon be lining the city centre streets once again / Credit: Manchester City Council

Cllr Karney had already previously confirmed that the Christmas Parade will also be back this year after it proved to be such a smash-hit success during its inaugural year in 2022. You can expect to see runaway Christmas presents, Jack Frost, Snow Queens, and of course, Santa, make their way through the city centre’s streets once again.

Dates for this free family-friendly event are yet to be confirmed, with the Council telling residents to keep their eyes peeled for more announcements in the coming weeks.

Read more:

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

News

Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.

Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.

A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.

Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.

It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.

Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.

As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.

Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.

The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.

Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.  

Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.

The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.

Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.

Read more:

“Help us be a lifeline to organisations on the frontline,” Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity urged in it’s public appeal for donations.

You can help make sure ‘A Bed Every Night’ is a reality for all by donating here.

Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)

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