The Manchester Christmas Markets will be back in town for their 2024 edition before we know it, filling the streets with people and festive cheer.
From the stalls selling traditional German market-style food like bratwurst and gluhwein, to local operators whipping up festive specials, the food is a big part of the appeal.
There are also shops selling all sorts of gifts and handmade items right across the city centre.
Christmas in Manchester is the most magical time of the year, and the markets are one of the city’s biggest annual attractions.
Tens of thousands of people will head into the city centre for the celebrations, and whether it’s your first time or your 26th we’ve rounded up your essential guide to the Manchester Christmas Markets.
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What dates are the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024?
Friday 8 November until Sunday 22 December.
Food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens will stay open until 31 December.
Due to the ways that the dates fall this year, the Manchester Christmas Markets run actually includes seven weekends in 2024 instead of the usual six.
Map of the 2024 Manchester Christmas Markets
Map of the 2024 Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: Supplied
All the locations of the Manchester Christmas Markets in 2024
The Winter Gardens at Piccadilly Gardens
The central hub of the Manchester Christmas Markets once again in 2024, the Winter Gardens will be a hive of festive activity.
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There’ll be traditional food like pancakes, bratwursts, churros, and more, with bars serving continental and foreign ales, and the beloved all-year-round Piccadilly Street Food Market will also stay open until 9pm each night.
Two new twinkling marquees will host live entertainment and music every day.
Market Street
Manchester’s bustling main shopping street will be filled with 45 different stalls selling bespoke crafts, gifts and produce, like crowd favourites of freshly baked coconut macaroons and cheese truckles.
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Cathedral Gardens
In what might be the prettiest corner of the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024, the Skate Manchester outdoor ice rink will be back this year.
Beside that there’ll be free live entertainment every Thursday to Sunday until New Year’s Eve, authentic crepes, gourmet hotdogs, hot chocolate, and much more.
St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street
The original site of Manchester Christmas Markets, here you can cosy up in an undercover bar with a boozy beverage, and enjoy a huge selection of authentic German goods from some of the markets’ longest-standing traders.
Expect German beers and cherry glühwein, bratwurst, salt and pepper chicken from Northern Quarter favourite Yard and Coop, or hot chocolate cones poured right from the chocolate taps.
New Cathedral Street
The Witch House at New Cathedral Street at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024. Credit: The Manc Group
New Cathedral Street is the go-to spot for high end gifts and foodie favourites, like handmade candles, ceramics, local spirits, and thoughtful keepsakes.
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It’s also home to the legendary The Witch House (just look for the giant sausage statue).
Exchange Square
The Mill Exchange will be back serving up a whole menu of Mancunian mulled wine, plus this spot is home to the legendary Yorkshire pudding wraps from Porky Pig.
King Street
Down on King Street you’ll find authentic Italian deli, Ballaro, plus festive twists on the beloved Spanish cooking from El Gato Negro.
The Corn Exchange
Here at The Corn Exchange you can expect handmade pies, Nepalese woollen jumpers, handmade jewellery, Christmas decorations made from recycled wood, plus photo frames, artisan chocolates and much more.
Opening and closing times for Manchester Christmas Markets 2024
The Manchester Christmas Markets will be back for 2024. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Manchester Christmas Markets will be back for 2024. Credit: The Manc Group
Generally across the markets, craft and gift stalls will trade from 10am to 8pm, while food and drink stalls will serve from 11am to 9pm daily.
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On the final day, 22 December, the markets close at 6pm, except for the food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens, which will remain open until 31 December.
Piccadilly Gardens – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
Market Street – 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday; 10am to 6pm Sundays
Cathedral Gardens – 10am to 9pm daily
St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
New Cathedral Street – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
Exchange Square – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
King Street – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
The Corn Exchange – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
How much is food and drink?
Until the Manchester Christmas Markets officially open, we don’t know how much food and drink will cost for 2024.
But prices have been steadily climbing every single year, with mulled wine up to £5.50 last year (from £5 the year before), and Yorkshire pudding wraps hopping up £2 to a tenner each.
Don’t be surprised to be facing £6 mulled wines in 2024, basically…
Manchester Christmas Market 2024 mug design
Another tradition of the Manchester Christmas Markets are the special yearly mug designs.
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Each year the council debuts new mugs, with previous designs like festive characters and patterns. This year is no different, with cartoon figures depicting Mr and Mrs Claus, plus festive elves.
These are available to use for your wines and hot chocolates across the markets for a £3.50 deposit, or you can take it home with you as a souvenir.
Travel advice and how to get to the Manchester Christmas Markets
The city centre gets busy during November and December, so people are urged to use public transport wherever possible to travel in and out of the city centre for the Manchester Christmas Markets.
There are plenty of other events running alongside the festivities, from huge football matches to gigs at the AO Arena to Black Friday sales.
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.
Daisy Jackson -
7th October 2024 
