Hold onto your reindeer, the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 are crashing back into the city centre from Friday, 8 November to Sunday, 22 December. With nine sites, over 200 stalls, and enough mulled wine to sink a sleigh, it’s festive madness on a grand scale.
Whether you’re here to pretend you enjoy shopping for handcrafted baubles or just to elbow your way to the Yorkshire pudding wraps, one thing’s for sure: it’ll be a Christmas circus you won’t want to miss.
Manchester Christmas Markets 2024
Piccadilly Gardens: Winter Gardens (a.k.a. the Foodie Free-for-All)
Piccadilly Gardens will once again transform into Winter Gardens, open daily from 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm, because they’ve got a bedtime apparently).
Prepare for queues as you fight for pancakes, churros, bratwursts, and international street food. And let’s not forget the bars serving ales and other dubious holiday drinks you’ll overpay for.
But hey, there’s live music under marquees, so you can pretend it’s all worth it while sheltering from Manchester’s inevitable drizzle.
Market Street: The Christmas Cram-Fest
Market Street’s stalls (open 10am to 8pm, shorter hours on Sundays because… Sundays) promise everything from spiced rum to cheese truckles. Perfect if you fancy spending way too much on gifts no one asked for.
Expect packed crowds and the usual chaos – if you leave here without bumping into at least three people, did you even go?
Cathedral Gardens: Ice, Ice, Baby
If watching people faceplant on an ice rink screams “festive” to you, Cathedral Gardens is your spot. Open daily from 10am to 9pm and running until New Year’s Eve, it’s a haven for families, though “havoc” might be the better word.
The ice rink is huge and covered (so no excuses for avoiding it), and there’s free entertainment Thursday through Sunday. Reward yourself with crepes, gourmet hot dogs, and hot chocolate, because you’ve earned it just by surviving.
St Ann’s Square & Exchange Street: OG Christmas Vibes
The original Christmas Market site returns with all the nostalgia you could ask for – and a side of bratwursts, cherry glühwein, and more overpriced goodies. Open daily, 10am to 9pm (craft stalls shut earlier, like the responsible elves they are).
Cosy up with a boozy beverage and marvel at the German goods from traders who’ve been here longer than some of us have been alive.
New Cathedral Street: Fancy Pants Central
Looking for a market that screams “I’m better than you”? New Cathedral Street is here for you. High-end gifts, bespoke candles, and local spirits await – perfect for those who want to spend big to impress relatives they see once a year.
Meanwhile, you can chomp on a currywurst or burrito, because nothing says “classy Christmas” like eating messy street food on the go.
Exchange Square: Feast Central
Exchange Square is where food lovers will lose their minds. With Mancunian mulled wine, Yorkshire pudding wraps, and mini pancakes, you’ll leave feeling festive and 10 pounds heavier.
The craft stalls here have everything from boutique babywear to soaps, so you can shop while stuffing your face.
King Street: The Food Snob’s Paradise
King Street is where foodies flock to feel superior. Ballaro’s Italian delights? Check. El Gato Negro’s Mediterranean menu? Double check. Authentic, expensive, and totally worth it.
Plus, you’ll find French soap stalls, personalised decorations, and Salford Rum bottles that look too pretty to drink but will be gone by Boxing Day anyway.
The Corn Exchange: Quirky Chaos
Between Corn Exchange and Shambles Square, the stalls are here to remind you that Manchester does weird and wonderful best. From Nepalese wool jumpers to recycled wood decorations, this is where you’ll buy the gifts that make people smile – and wonder if you’ve been drinking.
So, there you have it. Whether you’re here to shop, eat, or just complain about how crowded it is, Manchester’s Christmas Markets are the festive madness you didn’t know you needed. See you in the queue for the glühwein.
Or you could head to Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, but why – they even try to confuse you where it is!
