Manchester’s Christmas Markets Mark 26th Anniversary

Manchester’s Christmas markets have commenced their 26th annual season. Spanning nine locations, over 240 stalls are anticipated to draw an estimated nine million visitors during the festive period. This year, Piccadilly Gardens again functions as the main hub while Albert Square undergoes renovation. Craft stalls will operate daily from 10am to 8pm, and food stalls from 11am to 9pm. Father Christmas is scheduled to appear in St Peter’s Square on the Monday following Remembrance Sunday. Specific market locations and their offerings include: The Winter Gardens at Piccadilly, featuring two marquees with sheltered drinking and eating areas, offering festive food and drink favourites such as bratwursts, mulled wine, hot chocolate, and cocktails. Market Street presents crafts, gifts, produce, and jewellery. Cathedral Gardens hosts an ice rink, open until January 1st, with surrounding food and drink stalls available until December 31st. St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street, the original site of Manchester’s first Christmas Market, provide a covered bar and traditional German stalls from the longest-serving traders. New Cathedral Street offers handmade candles, ceramics, and locally made gifts. Exchange Square, one of the largest areas, features mulled wine, specialist food, and local crafts. King Street specializes in Italian and Mediterranean food, alongside decorations and French soap. The Corn Exchange showcases handmade food, crafts, and decorations crafted from recycled wood. The Mr Crimble Crumble stall, which made its debut last year, gained significant viral attention on TikTok. Stallholder Rebecca Storey stated, “We had people from all over the country coming to visit us,” and affirmed, “There was no hesitation about coming back, absolutely none. “We love Manchester. We love Manchester people. It’s probably one of the friendliest cities in the UK.”” Manchester councillor Pat Karney officially opened the markets. He commented, “Nowhere does Christmas quite like Manchester and with more than a quarter of a century of festive markets behind us we reckon we know how to get everyone’s Christmas wrapped,” further stating, “The number of people who’ve visited our markets over the years must be well over the fifty million mark by now, and 26 years on from our first-ever Christmas Market in 1998, we regularly attract visitors from around the globe.” Abbey Matthews and her partner Kyle, who have operated stalls at the markets for six years, cited the atmosphere and the community among stallholders as reasons for their return. Matthews explained, “We start brainstorming any new ideas we might have [in July] and we’ll start all of the organising you can think of, from suppliers to staff to everything.” Keith Jenkins, a co-owner of the Great British Cheese Company, suggested that the updated appearance of Piccadilly Gardens would improve the market this year. He stated, “We have a bigger stall this year because this market has been a success for us,” and added, “It’s more open more spacious. They’ve set it out better and personally I think it’ll be the busiest year they’ve ever had in Piccadilly Gardens.” For additional content, listeners can access BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites. Details on the BBC’s external linking policy are available.