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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The Lottery Winners champion the ‘working class’ after notching their second number one album
Danny Jones
Another UK Official Charts gold trophy is heading Wigan Way as Leigh’s very own The Lottery Winners have notched another number one album,and you can rest assured these lot will never forget where they came from.
Being awarded the accolade for the second time in the space of just four LPs, the much-loved Greater Manchester band emerged as increasing favourites in the race for the top spot this past week, but nothing is ever certain until the race is run – and thankfully, they crossed the finish line on Friday evening.
Having previously claimed an inaugural number one for their third outing, ART (Anxiety Replacement Therapy), back in April 2023, their presence on the British indie and pop scene has only continued to grow, and they’ve been fittingly rewarded for their efforts.
Not only one of the most popular artists coming out of the region right now but prolific creators and performers, we couldn’t be happier for them. Here’s what happened when they heard the news:
Nevertheless, and annoying nose rings aside, their latest record KOKO (Keep On Keeping On), which dropped on 21 March, not only showcases some of The Lottery Winners‘ best material to date but it’s gone straight to number one.
Including another stunning lineup of special guests including Reverend and The Makers’ Jon McClure, Shed Seven, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and Frank Turner for the third time as a featured artist, the album has gone down an instant hit with their fan base and plenty of new listeners too.
Speaking on the massive achievement, bassist Katie Lloyd said: “I hope that people from a background that we’re from can look at what we’ve managed to achieve, with two of these now, and see that you can do it if you work hard and put everything into your dreams.”
Echoing her sentiment, frontman Thom Rylance went on to add: “This is for grassroots music, this is for the working class; this is for Leigh, this is for anybody who has a dream – go out there and get it.
“Make it happen.” Well said, lad.
“Sometimes the path to something like this can seem impossible, but hopefully we’re proof you can do it!” ✊#TheLotteryWinners (@LotteryWinners) have some inspiring words as they celebrate their second Official Number 1 album #KOKO 🏆🌼 pic.twitter.com/HhMi2XEOXb
Even Mayor Andy Burham chipped in, telling the Official Charts Company: “I’ve been a big fan of The Lottery Winners since they started out playing pubs and clubs around Leigh, and I know the whole town will be proud of them today.
“Landing a first Number 1 album was brilliant, but to do it again is something properly special. They’re one of the hardest working bands in the business and they deserve every bit of this success.”
Congratulations again to The Lottery Winners on KOKO and a second UK number one. We’re sure they’ll keep flying the flag for Greater Manchester and Northern music as a whole.
As well as headline dates to come, not to mention supporting the one and only Robbie Williams later this year, they’ve got a big festival season ahead as they’re set to return to the likes of Neighbourhood Weekender, Kendal Calling and more.
Roll on the summer and in the meantime, Keep On Keeping On.
Featured Images — Official Charts Company/The Lottery Winners (supplied)/Audio North
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The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running
Danny Jones
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of runningin UK history.
Like, ever…
Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.
However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.
Credit: Manchester Marathon
As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.
Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.
More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.
The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.
An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.
In one month you’ll be making your way to the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon start line!📢
We are buzzing – are you? Comment the GIF that best describes how you are feeling one month out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ioROLfejW
Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.
As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.
Emily Sergeant -
20th November 2023 
