It’s official… Manchester Christmas Markets have been named the best in the UK, according to a new analysis for 2023.
Of course, us Mancs already knew this, but it’s always nice to have it confirmed, right?
In case you hadn’t heard, Manchester‘s flagship festive event has officially returned to spread some cheer right across the city centre for another year, as the annual Christmas Markets opened to the public on Friday 10 November.
The iconic annual event is an absolute staple in Manchester’s festive events calendar, and always draws in thousands of visitors from all across the globe each year.
More than 225 stalls have now popped up across nine sites throughout the city centre, with iconic ski chalet-style market stalls having taken over Piccadilly Gardens – which has once again been transformed into the ‘Winter Gardens’ – as well as Market Street, Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Square, The Corn Exchange, and King Street.
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The little wooden huts lining our streets give visitors the chance to tuck into a wide range of festive foods and drinks, and shop for Christmas gifts from countless independent traders.
Manchester Christmas Markets have been named the best in the UK for 2023 / Credit: Flickr
It’s not uncommon for Manchester Christmas Markets to regular feature among the conversation when it comes to naming the country’s best Christmas markets, but this year, a new analysis by online car-buying platform, cinch, has seen our city’s annual festive event come out on top as the absolute best the UK has to offer.
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The team over at cinch looked at looked at TikTok popularity, average hotel costs, predicted days of snowfall, and the duration of 35 different market events to come up with a top 10 list that determines the best Christmas markets to visit for a festive road trip this year.
Manchester has taken the top spot on the list, and is closely followed by the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, and fellow North West neighbours Liverpool.
It’s according to a new analysis by cinch of 35 Christmas Markets nationwide / Credit: Manchester City Council
#ManchesterChristmasMarket is the most viewed hashtag on TikTok, with a whopping 13.3 million views, while the analysis found that the average cost of an overnight weekend stay is £246.84 during December.
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Due to Manchester’s average of 1.3 days of snowfall in December, there’s only a 0.042% chance of snowfall at the markets.
Manchester markets last 42 days, making it the 13th longest of the markets in the study.
Top 10 best Christmas Markets in the UK for 2023
Manchester
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Birmingham
Hyde Park (Winter Wonderland)
Leicester
Belfast
Canterbury
Glasgow, Birmingham, Belfast, Canterbury, and London’s iconic ‘Winter Wonderland’ in Hyde Park are some of the other cities to claim top 10 spots.
Speaking on the findings of the new analysis, Sam Sheehan – who is the Motoring Editor at cinch – said Manchester is “the place to be” for anyone looking for “the ultimate Christmas market experience” in the country this year.
He explained: “According to our findings, Manchester is home to the best Christmas market in the UK.
“Receiving a whopping 13,300,000 views on TikTok, as well as offering festive food and fun for 42 days, it’s no surprise that Manchester’s Christmas market stands at the top of our merry list.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Trailer released for new Netflix drama series starring Michelle Keegan airing in the new year
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new Netflix show starring Michelle Keegan and Joanna Lumley has now been released.
In case you hadn’t heard, the highly-anticipated new crime drama show, which is titled Fool Me Once, is an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s popular novel, and is set to air on the streaming service as soon as 2024 arrives.
But now, the release of the first trailer has proved it looks brilliantly binge-worthy.
How can a dead man appear on a secret camera?
Fool Me Once – a new crime thriller from @HarlanCoben – coming 1 January, starring Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage. pic.twitter.com/oSUx44qIyT
The eight-part series follows Manchester-born actress Michelle Keegan’s character, Maya Starn, who is a former special ops pilot struggling with the tragic murder of her husband, Joe, who is played by Richard Armitage.
Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce, who is portrayed by Adeel Akhtar, conducts the investigation into Joe’s death while wrestling with his own hidden truths.
Things start to get interesting though, when she observes via the nanny cam her supposedly deceased husband playing with their baby daughter in her own home.
Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew embark on the journey to seek answers about their own mother’s murder which took place months ago.
But one question remains – could the two mysteries be related?
‘Fool Me Once’ stars Michelle Keegan and is based on a novel by Harlan Coben / Credit: Netflix UK
The first trailer for the show was released by Netflix at the end of last week, and it showcases a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
The streaming service has unveiled a selection of first look images, showcasing a star-studded cast with the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous, Adeel Akhtar from Sherwood, Emmett J Scanlan from Peaky Blinders, and Dino Fetscher from Paranoid.
Filming took place in Yorkshire, where production crews were spotted in the Burdock Way area near the centre of Halifax, but Michelle Keegan was also spotted filming in Manchester city centre back in May.
Fool Me Once will air on Netflix in the UK on Monday 1 January.
Featured Image – GMP
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Timothée Chalamet thinks the sexiest British accent is… Hull?
Clementine Hall
Hollywood A-lister Timothée Chalamet has revealed the British accents he finds sexiest, and the results are unexpected.
The 27-year-old star of Wonka said that a Hull accent is up there as one of his favourites, along with Italian and French.
How does Timothée Chalamet even know about Hull’s existence, never mind know what the accent sounds like?
The star, who rose to astronomical fame back in 2017 with his portrayal of Elio in Call Me By Your Name, and has since starred in blockbusters such as Dune and Little Woman, revealed his favourite access on the current Wonka press tour, The Hoot reports.
Chalamet appeared on LadBible TV talking to Keegan-Michael Key, where they discuss the internet’s biggest debates.
In a segment where they debate the British accent, Chalamet goes on to reveal his top three British accents… and the answers are not what you would expect.
Firstly he admits his favourite is the Hull accent, he says: “I like the Hull accent. Hull is sexy”.
We’ve never thought of the Hull accent as particularly sexy before, but we will absolutely take it.
Emily Sergeant -
20th November 2023 
