Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 dates, times and locations confirmed with one bonus for festive revellers
The dates and times for this year’s bumper Manchester Christmas Markets have been confirmed.
Festivities will run from Friday, November 8 to Sunday, December 22, with the good news for revellers being that this year’s dates mean they will get seven weekends of market fun, as opposed to the usual six.
Now in their 26th year, the markets will see more than 200 stalls in operation across nine sites throughout the city centre. Those famous wooden ski chalets will 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.
Craft stalls and stalls selling seasonal goods will be open each day from 10am-8pm, whilst food and drink stalls will be open from 11am-9 pm each day. The markets will wrap up for Christmas at 6pm on December 22, except for the food and drink stalls at Cathedral Gardens which will stay open until December 31.
The Manchester Christmas lights trail is also back with giant walk-through baubles, a Manchester bee and Santa Claus himself in St Peter's Square. For those who enjoy a seasonal skate, Skate Manchester's covered ice rink will be back again this year in Cathedral Gardens from 8 November to January 1. The council has also confirmed the Manchester Christmas Parade will be back although a date is yet to be confirmed.
Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester's Christmas spokesperson, said: "Everyone knows by now that Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and Manchester is my favourite place in the world to be during the festive season.
"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 that 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, which will be back again this year and promises to melt even the hardest of hearts.”