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.
Bewitching Christmas light trail Northern Lights will return to Heaton Park this year
Daisy Jackson
The festive light trail that proved to be a smash hit last winter will make a return to Manchester this year.
Northern Lights has just announced a major return to Heaton Park, with a brand-new Christmas Time Machine theme.
The dazzling mile-long light trail will transform the park into a wonderland with 14 different installations, plus selfie spots along the route.
And there’ll be a limited Kids Go Free offer on select dates, as well as inclusive evenings with reduced capacity and lower audio levels.
Northern Lights attracted more than 100,000 visitors when it made its Heaton Park debut last winter, and received rave reviews across the board.
This year, A Christmas Time Machine will take place from 19 November all the way through to the end of the year, inviting visitors to step back into their favourite festive memories with a nostalgic collection in installations.
Original soundscapes, spectacular new illuminations, and even a marshmallow zone will bring the fully accessible trail to life.
Northern Lights is returning to Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Visitors will walk along Candy Cane Lane, admire a giant neon slinky, and ogle at shimmering nutcrackers.
There’ll also be vintage fairground rides, cosy festive pit stops, and an expanded Christmas Village with artisan food and drink producers from across the region.
Demand is expected to be high for this year’s festivities, with Early Bird tickets just released to get you the best value prices of the year.
Emma St.Croix, Senior Marketing Manager at From The Fields, said: “The response to Northern Lights Manchester last year exceeded all of our expectations.
“The warmth and enthusiasm from visitors made it incredibly special for our team, and we’re delighted to be returning to Heaton Park with something completely new.
“Since January, we’ve been reimagining every part of the experience. A Christmas Time Machine takes visitors on a journey through the festive moments that stay with us long after the decorations come down. Nodding to the traditions we return to year after year, the nostalgia of Christmases gone by, and the excitement of creating new memories together.
“We can’t wait to welcome visitors back and share this next chapter of Northern Lights with families, friends and loved ones from across the region.”
Northern Lights will also host dedicated inclusive evenings on Wednesday 2 and Wednesday 9 December. Visitor numbers will be reduced by 75%, with lower audio levels throughout the trail to create a calmer environment that may be preferable for some neurodivergent visitors and those who benefit from a more relaxed experience.
Northern Lights Manchester tickets
Kids Go Free offer – available on selected Off-Peak Early Bird dates until 31 August (or until allocation is exhausted. Use code KIDSLIGHTS before selecting tickets to unlock.
Early Bird Pricing
Peak tickets – from £17.25 including transaction fee
Off-peak tickets – from £13.75 including transaction fee
Disney On Ice is returning to Manchester this winter on latest UK arena tour
Danny Jones
Whether you’re looking for something to give your children a thrill, or you’re a fully fledged ‘Disney adult’ yourself, you’ll be glad to hear that the smash-hit Disney On Ice show is coming back to Manchester city centre later this year.
Returning globally for its 45th anniversary and celebrating over three and a half decades here in the UK, Disney On Ice is set for its 16th edition here in Manchester this winter.
Bringing iconic characters, storylines and scenes to life with incredible choreographed ice-skating routines, as well as all-singing-all-dancing musical numbers, you won’t find many more spectacular family-friendly live shows than this one.
Well and truly a staple of the annual entertainment calendar around the globe, these performances attract millions every year, and now thousands more will get to watch the latest version at the AO Arena.
As written on the social media post confirming the next batch of dates, the venue wrote: “Follow the quest for Tinker Bell through the dazzling worlds of Coco, Moana, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast.
“Experience thrilling skating and memorable moments from Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Little Mermaid. Watch Stitch crash the action with mischievous surprises. It’s non-stop fun for the whole family!”
Dubbed ‘Discover The Magic’, this upcoming iteration of the Disney format is said to be all about “celebrating love and bravery”; expect more than 170 dazzling costumes made by over 100 artisans using thousands of yards of fabric, adorned with hundreds of thousands of hand-set Swarovski crystals.
One of the most impressive parts about these performers – besides their obvious gifts for music and movement – is how quickly they change outfits, transforming in under 30 seconds before stepping back out onto the impressively designed stage, which is estimated to weigh in excess of 12,000 pounds.
You can take a glance at the scenes from their most recent spring tour of a similar name down below.
Such an impressive display all-round.
You can find the full list of UK shows here – we’ve highlighted all the Northern ones for you:
Disney On Ice UK tour dates – winter 2026/27
Birmingham bp pulse LIVE: Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026
Newcastle Utilita Arena: Nov 11 – Nov 15, 2026
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena: Nov 19 – Nov 22, 2026
Aberdeen P&J Live: Nov 26 – Nov 29, 2026
Belfast SSE: Dec 3 – Dec 6, 2026
Sheffield Utilita Arena: Dec 9 – Dec 13, 2026
Manchester AO Arena: Dec 16 – Dec 20, 2026
London The O2: Dec 24 – Jan 3, 2027
With the likes of other big Disney Concerts and the Entertainment group productions coming to Manchester over the next year or so, including the recently announced Worlds Collide UK crossover tour, there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in all kinds of classic movie magic.
The pre-sale opens from 10am this Friday, 12 June, which you can prepare for now; as for general admission, tickets will be available from the same time on the last Friday of the month (26 June).
All-new VIP magical passes have also been added for the very first time this year, meaning guests of all ages can enjoy all the glitz and glamour possible.
Whatever package you and/or the kids fancy, you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
For anyone interested in seeing other animated and digital favourites brought to life in the flesh right here in the city centre, this one might interest you, too…
Calling all self-declared otakus, cinephiles and gamers – this one looks right up your street. 🎼
Daisy Jackson -
7th October 2024 
