The Manchester Christmas Markets will be back in town for their 2024 edition before we know it, filling the streets with people and festive cheer.
From the stalls selling traditional German market-style food like bratwurst and gluhwein, to local operators whipping up festive specials, the food is a big part of the appeal.
There are also shops selling all sorts of gifts and handmade items right across the city centre.
Christmas in Manchester is the most magical time of the year, and the markets are one of the city’s biggest annual attractions.
Tens of thousands of people will head into the city centre for the celebrations, and whether it’s your first time or your 26th we’ve rounded up your essential guide to the Manchester Christmas Markets.
What dates are the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024?
- Friday 8 November until Sunday 22 December.
- Food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens will stay open until 31 December.
Due to the ways that the dates fall this year, the Manchester Christmas Markets run actually includes seven weekends in 2024 instead of the usual six.
All the locations of the Manchester Christmas Markets in 2024
The Winter Gardens at Piccadilly Gardens
The central hub of the Manchester Christmas Markets once again in 2024, the Winter Gardens will be a hive of festive activity.
There’ll be traditional food like pancakes, bratwursts, churros, and more, with bars serving continental and foreign ales, and the beloved all-year-round Piccadilly Street Food Market will also stay open until 9pm each night.
Two new twinkling marquees will host live entertainment and music every day.
Market Street
Manchester’s bustling main shopping street will be filled with 45 different stalls selling bespoke crafts, gifts and produce, like crowd favourites of freshly baked coconut macaroons and cheese truckles.
Cathedral Gardens
In what might be the prettiest corner of the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024, the Skate Manchester outdoor ice rink will be back this year.
Beside that there’ll be free live entertainment every Thursday to Sunday until New Year’s Eve, authentic crepes, gourmet hotdogs, hot chocolate, and much more.
St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street
The original site of Manchester Christmas Markets, here you can cosy up in an undercover bar with a boozy beverage, and enjoy a huge selection of authentic German goods from some of the markets’ longest-standing traders.
Expect German beers and cherry glühwein, bratwurst, salt and pepper chicken from Northern Quarter favourite Yard and Coop, or hot chocolate cones poured right from the chocolate taps.
New Cathedral Street
New Cathedral Street is the go-to spot for high end gifts and foodie favourites, like handmade candles, ceramics, local spirits, and thoughtful keepsakes.
It’s also home to the legendary The Witch House (just look for the giant sausage statue).
Exchange Square
The Mill Exchange will be back serving up a whole menu of Mancunian mulled wine, plus this spot is home to the legendary Yorkshire pudding wraps from Porky Pig.
King Street
Down on King Street you’ll find authentic Italian deli, Ballaro, plus festive twists on the beloved Spanish cooking from El Gato Negro.
The Corn Exchange
Here at The Corn Exchange you can expect handmade pies, Nepalese woollen jumpers, handmade jewellery, Christmas decorations made from recycled wood, plus photo frames, artisan chocolates and much more.
Opening and closing times for Manchester Christmas Markets 2024
Generally across the markets, craft and gift stalls will trade from 10am to 8pm, while food and drink stalls will serve from 11am to 9pm daily.
On the final day, 22 December, the markets close at 6pm, except for the food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens, which will remain open until 31 December.
- Piccadilly Gardens – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
- Market Street – 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday; 10am to 6pm Sundays
- Cathedral Gardens – 10am to 9pm daily
- St Ann’s Square and Exchange Street – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
- New Cathedral Street – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
- Exchange Square – 10am to 9pm daily (craft stalls until 8pm)
- King Street – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
- The Corn Exchange – 10am to 9pm (craft stalls until 8pm)
How much is food and drink?
Until the Manchester Christmas Markets officially open, we don’t know how much food and drink will cost for 2024.
But prices have been steadily climbing every single year, with mulled wine up to £5.50 last year (from £5 the year before), and Yorkshire pudding wraps hopping up £2 to a tenner each.
Don’t be surprised to be facing £6 mulled wines in 2024, basically…
Manchester Christmas Market 2024 mug design
Another tradition of the Manchester Christmas Markets are the special yearly mug designs.
Each year the council debuts new mugs, with previous designs like festive characters and patterns.
These are available to use for your wines and hot chocolates across the markets for a deposit, or you can take it home with you as a souvenir.
Travel advice and how to get to the Manchester Christmas Markets
The city centre gets busy during November and December, so people are urged to use public transport wherever possible to travel in and out of the city centre for the Manchester Christmas Markets.
There are plenty of other events running alongside the festivities, from huge football matches to gigs at the AO Arena to Black Friday sales.
The Bee Network app will help you to plan your journey.
Read more
- Manchester set for its ‘best-ever Christmas’ as all 2024 Market locations confirmed
- A new festive light maze is heading to Cheshire for the first time this December
- Manchester’s biggest outdoor ice rink will be returning to the city centre this winter
Featured image: The Manc Group
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