‘Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and Manchester is my favourite place in the world to be during the festive season,’ says Pat Karney, Manchester’s festive spokesperson and city councillor. ‘Christmas is going to be wonderful in Manchester this year, with enough seasonal stalls across the city in our best-ever Christmas markets to make sure everyone gets their Christmas wrapped before the big day. ‘And of course, Christmas in Santa’s favourite city simply would not be Christmas without the heart-warming event of the season, our magical Manchester Christmas Parade (date to be confirmed), which will be back again and promises to melt even the hardest of hearts. We’ve loved seeing how much our families enjoy it since our first Christmas Parade in 2022 and this year is going to be even more joyous and amazing.’
MANCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKETS
This will be Manchester’s 26th year of Christmas markets, returning on Friday, November 8 for a six-week seasonal run until Sunday, December 22, with well over 200 stalls across nine sites throughout the city centr
SKI CHALET MARKET STALLS
This year sees the quaint wooden ski chalet market stalls take over King Street West, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange and Cathedral Gardens, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens. The stalls will trade daily throughout the six-week run. Stalls selling crafts and seasonal goods will be open each day from 10am-8pm, with food and drink stalls from 11am-9pm each day. The markets will wrap up for Christmas at 6pm on Sunday, December 22 – except for the food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens, which will stay open until Tuesday December 31.
SKATE MANCHESTER IN CATHEDRAL GARDENS
Skate Manchester’s covered ice rink is in Cathedral Gardens from Friday, November 8 to Wednesday, January 1, with the covered ice rink promising an unforgettable skating experience amid twinkling lights, Christmas trees and a soundtrack of Christmas songs.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TRAIL
The city centre will be looking its sparkly best for the Christmas season with the return of the Manchester Christmas lights trail. Featuring giant walk-through baubles, a Manchester bee and Santa Claus himself watching from on high in St Peter’s Square.
FESTIVE EVENTS AND SHOWS IN MANCHESTER
ELF THE MUSICAL
This is a bona fide cinema classic, despite only being released 21 years ago. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack and is transported to the North Pole and raised as an elf. When grown-up Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, he is faced with a harsh reality. Palace Theatre, November 12-17, various times.
HOME ALONE
Featuring the Christmas favourite, with renowned composer John Williams’s score performed live by the International Film Orchestra. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Bridgewater Hall, November 29, 7.30pm
FESTIVE HAPPENING WITH MANCHESTER CAMERATA AND AMC GOSPEL CHOIR
The Festive Happening has become a Christmas tradition at the Albert Hall, and it sold out in 2023. There will be gospel hits and classic songs with the AMC Gospel Choir – it makes for a moving and spiritual concert for the whole family. Albert Hall, December 15, 2pm-6pm
SWING INTO CHRISTMAS
Celebrate the festive season in style with the vocalists and instrumentalists of the Down for the Count Orchestra. A Christmas celebration featuring the music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and more in a luscious 30-piece orchestral setting. The Stoller Hall, December 15, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
SPEND SPEND SPEND
Based on the life of Football Pools winner Viv Nicholson, this carnivalesque musical comedy is a big-hearted experience. From rags-to-riches and back again, the working-class Yorkshire lass won a fortune in 1961 and then went on lavish spending sprees, splashing out on furs, cars, champagne and parties – until it all came crashing down. The Royal Exchange, November 23-January 11, 2025.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Hope Mill Theatre’s magical musical version of A Christmas Carol is a star at the top of the festive tree. Based on Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, the classic story comes to life in true Broadway style when Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve for a spooky journey. The Lowry, December 6-January 5, 2025.
MANCHESTER RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS AT CHRISTMAS
BAR HÜTTE
An alpine pop-up bar bringing après-ski charm to Manchester with its cosy karaoke hüttes, winter warmer cocktails, and a vibrant atmosphere that will transport you straightto the heart of a European ski resort. Bar HütteKampushas eight snug,wooden karaoke hüttes, nestled beneath the trees, and an après ski bungalow. There will also be a full schedule of festive events, such as Christmas movie nights, with screenings of Love Actually and Office Christmas Party, both paired with mulled wine or fizz and popcorn, and Ginger Hunter’s Sparkling Chalet Chic Drag Night on November 21. Craft workshops and Santa Claus Club bring a more traditional celebration and Nell’s Pizza is available to buy. Bar Hütte at Great Northern has 14 cosy hüttes under a heated stretch tent, with live singers and DJs, pizzas made fresh on-site, and a drinks menu. Book your Hütte in advance. Kampus from November 14 and Great Northern Square from November 15.
AUSTRALASIA
Australasia’s four-course Christmas set menu at £55 combines the flavours of modern Australia that this Manchester fixture has long been loved for. The mains choice, for example, sees pumpkin become an exotic curry; beef rib-eye partnered with broccoli purée, robata shiitake and oyster mushrooms and a black garlic jus. And then there are the festive sides: miso roasted potatoes, maple-glazed heritage carrots and creamed Brussels sprouts.
FREIGHT ISLAND
Welcome to Winter Island, the UK’s largest heated indoor and outdoor winter festival, with the Father Christmas Grotto, Twilight Trail in Mayfield Park, Christmas street food pop-ups from Cabin Chocolat, Oh My Churros, Formaggi by Lazy Tony’s, Greek Street, Fuku Express, and the Smoking Coal German BBQ. Table bookings are now open. November 14-December 31
THE REACH AT PICCADILLY
Just a 90-second walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, the Tribute Portfolio Hotel’s design pays homage to the city’s unique industrial history and the pioneers who made it what it is today. There are 215 guest rooms, eight suites, and a restaurant and bar, Lock 84. Your room may look over the Rochdale Canal, once used to transport coal. The canalside location is reflected in the use of activated charcoal toiletries, as well as a twist on the ‘fourpenny’ drink, which was how workers would toast the end of the day.
FENIX
The high-end contemporary Greek-Mediterranean restaurant that opened a year ago has become a city favourite for its ambience, fabulous cocktails and menu based on a choice of dishes within chapters. The recently introduced Sunday agora (Sunday gathering) adds a Fenix twist to roast dinner and the festive menu is expected to do the same.
STOCK EXCHANGE HOTEL
Stock Exchange Hotel is a stunning 5* hotel located in the heart of Manchester and houses the restaurant Tender by Niall Keating, which will be serving a Christmas menu alongside a Christmas Day package.
SEXY FISH
The cool Japanese-inspired restaurant with a selection of festive Sexy Fishmas set menus alongside a private dining offering, The Tropical Reef Room. The venue has something for everyone including the dinner party, every Friday and Saturday, and limitless brunch offering which takes place every Sunday between 12-5pm
