Manchester’s giant glowing moustachioed Santa will be back next week

Manchester’s giant illuminated Santa is heading back to the city centre next week.

The festive figure stands at 12 metres tall, weighs in at a whopping 2.3 tonnes, and is powered by thousands of LED light bulbs.

The massive character replaced the city’s beloved Zippy in 2019, after the iconic figure was sold off by Manchester City Council.

Our new giant Santa sits on a huge illuminated present, and sports a twirled moustache.

Though the city’s Christmas mascot has previously been a centrepiece of the Manchester Christmas Markets, this year Santa will stand away from the main festivities.

He’ll instead take up a position at St Peter’s Square as part of the council’s trail of light sculptures.

Other sculptures on the trail will include a twinkling Manchester bee, a huge Christmas tree made from recycled materials, and a traditional nativity scene in St Ann’s Square.

The build of Giant Santa will begin on Monday 15 November ahead of his switch-on later that week.

The rest of the light trail will be illuminated from Friday 12 November when the Manchester Christmas Markets return to the city centre.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson said: “Santa is eager to return to his favourite city and to ensure that Christmas is safe and fun for everyone.

“He wants to make sure that everyone in Manchester has a wonderful Christmas. We tree-mendously hope you go down to see him, if you miss him yule be sorry.”

Featured Image – Manchester City Council