Manchester's World Famous Christmas Market Returns

Well known as being the original, biggest and best Christmas Market in the UK, the festive season is one of the most anticipated with the markets being one of the city’s most enduringly popular attractions.

Each market boasts the finest in gift ideas, including jewellery, ceramic, handmade toys, puppets, clocks, glassware, and a market favourite, the limited edition Manchester Christmas Market coffee and Gluhwein mugs.

Food lovers will once again be agog at the range of culinary delights on offer, more than ample to satisfy even the most fervent of festive foodies including several vegetarian options – with a chance to sample traditional delights from across Europe – including Gluhwein, liqueur coffee, macaroons, pancakes and bratwurst amongst many, many others. 

Traders throughout Europe, from Transylvania and Lapland to Spain and France (and of course Germany), will join local businesses from across the North West - each will be housed in beautiful, hand-crafted wooden chalets.

The new Market Street site complements neighbouring high street shops with 28 stalls selling quality arts and crafts, along with superb Christmas gift ideas – marrying the ethos of independent traders with high street favourites beautifully.

Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “It’s always said that Christmas comes earlier every year, yet every year it doesn’t come early enough in my opinion. The minute the Christmas Markets begin to arrive the city is transformed. A wonderfully festive atmosphere descends on Manchester and a layer of Christmas spirit settles on the streets.

“We love how the markets enhance our high streets, giving shoppers a range of options for their Christmas shopping – and when the city centre transformation is complete, the Manchester Christmas Markets will be bigger and better than ever!”

Regularly named as one of Europe’s best, last year the Christmas Markets attracted more than 9m to the city centre – including 1.5m people to the Albert Square site alone – generating millions of pounds for Manchester’s economy.

St Ann’s Square – the original market site – is the traditional German heart of Manchester’s Christmas Markets, while the French Market will return to King Street. Both sites have proved popular in past years with market’s nocturnal clientele and embody the open air culture of the continent.

Close by, Exchange Street and New Cathedral Street will welcome back the coffee house and covered German beer house for a successful third year.

Finally, Albert Square will once again be presided over by the much loved giant LED lit Santa. Strolling around the market, overlooked by Manchester’s Victorian town hall, shoppers are transported in to Dickensian Britain and into a scene from A Christmas Carol.