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Manchester Christmas Markets: Everything you need to know as full details released
The markets are billed to be ‘bigger and better’ than ever before…
As the opening date for the Manchester Christmas Markets looms ever closer, Manchester City Council has unveiled the full list of traders and locations for this year’s festivities.
From November 10th, the Christmas Markets will once again be transforming Piccadilly Gardens into the Winter Gardens, with over 220 stalls confirmed to be opening at the usual locations of Market Street, Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Square, The Corn Exchange, and King Street.
The council has also confirmed the return of the magical Manchester Christmas lights trail, which will illuminate the city centre throughout the festive season with its walk-through giant baubles, light arches and a Manchester bee.
And the iconic Big Santa will be making a return to the Central Library at St. Peter’s Square, where he will be keeping an eye on all things Christmas in Manchester from his perch atop of the library.
Here’s the full rundown of what to expect at this year’s Christmas markets:
Winter Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens will once again be transformed into the Winter Gardens, which the council has promised to be ‘bigger and better’ than ever before.
On the food and drink side of things, the Winter Gardens will serve up the likes of pancakes, churros, cookie dough, vegan bratwursts, Korean hotdogs, pork barms, and Amsterdam Frites. There will also be an array of winter tipples and a selection of continental and foreign ales.
There will also be dedicated weekly trial spots for new local traders as they step into winter trading and try out their wares on the Christmas market crowds.
And brand new for this year, the Winter Gardens will host a giant Nordic-themed double tipi bar, which will be fully heated, and festooned with ambient lighting, wooden benches, fake furs, and a roaring fire pit.
There will be live music and entertainment within the tipi bar most nights, making it the perfect spot to spread some Christmas cheer throughout the whole week.
St. Ann’s Square and Exchange Street
St. Ann’s Square – which is actually the original site for Manchester’s Christmas markets – will be returning with its large undercover bar providing German beers and warm cherry Gluhwein, all of which will keep Christmas revellers warm and merry throughout the winter season.
St. Ann’s Square and Exchange Street will also host a number of local traders, including Yard and Coop with their salt and pepper chicken fries and Manc and Proud, who will be serving up Mancunian themed treats, plus continental chocolates, English cheeses, and art emporiums.
Market Street
A firm favourite with Christmas shoppers, Market Street will be home to stalls selling a wide range of gifts from a whole host of amazing crafters and producers. Customers will be able to get everything from tweed hats, spiced rum and Christmas decorations, to candles, jewellery, and gift sets of cheese truckles.
King Street
Home to some of the best food in Manchester, the Christmas deli stalls on King Street will once again take foodies on a world tour of some of the best loved dishes on the planet, ranging from Italian cannelloni and arancini, Greek gyros, halloumi fries, French garlic mushrooms and even Salford Rum.
And new for 2022, middle eastern restaurant Habas will be bringing their middle eastern menu and seating area to King Street- great for those wanting to eat their way round the world!
New Cathedral Street
New Cathedral Street will boast a range of stalls selling high-end gifts including fine-cast ornaments, old fashioned liquorice, handmade cocktails for home, and light up Christmas decorations.
There will also be a number of tasty food stalls offering everything ranging from vegan five bean chilli to New York Bagels. These can then be washed down by one of cosmopolitan Bar 3’s famous smoking cocktails.
Additionally, the famous Witch House will be making its grand return to New Cathedral Street armed with its traditional steins and mouth-watering currywursts.
Exchange Square
Market-goers will be able to warm up at the beloved Mill Exchange bar, who will be bringing back their special Mancunian mulled wine.
2022 also sees the return of the famous Porky Pig’s Yorkshire Pudding Wrap, alongside stalls selling hot curries, German kebabs, gourmet Italian pizza mini pancakes and fresh fudge.
The Corn Exchange
Nestled between Manchester’s historic Corn Exchange building and Shambles Square, visitors can expect to find unique fairtrade hats and jackets, character themed hats and belts, as well as handmade pies, cupcakes and soaps.
Cathedral Gardens
The much-loved undercover ice rink Skate MCR has opened just in time for the half term and Halloween. There is live entertainement on from Thursday to Sunday each week, all the way through to New Year’s Eve.
Next to the ice rink, hot food, warm drinks, pancakes and tipples will be on offer from nearby market stalls to help warm up cold hands and feet after a skate on the ice.
Councillor Pat Karney, lead councillor for Christmas at Manchester City Council, said: “Christmas is looking better than ever this year in Manchester with our world-beating Christmas markets set to open in four weeks’ time, and a whole host of other unmissable free festive treats also coming our way.
“Everyone knows that Manchester does Christmas better than anywhere else and I’ve been counting down the days to the opening of our Christmas markets again since the day they closed last year.
“We’ve got some fantastic new festive additions to the markets this year, as well as some other soon-to-be announced unmissable festive surprises which are set to get everyone in Manchester smiling in the run-up to Christmas. More announcements on this very soon – I can’t wait!”
The Christmas markets will open on Thursday 10 November and will close on Thursday 22 December.
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Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
Can’t wait for this!
Manchester Craft Beer Festival is back for another year, bringing with it more than 80 breweries and 500 different beers to sample.
The fourth edition of the festival will be taking place at Depot Mayfield on Friday July 5th and Saturday July 6th.
Cloudwater, Track, Marble, Northern Monk, Bundobust, Sureshot and Seven Brothers will be there to represent Manchester, alongside other UK stalwarts like Deya, Verdant, Siren and Leeds’ North Brewing Co.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Heritage breweries like Timothy Taylor’s, Chouffe and Timmermans will also be there, as well as international breweries from the US, Greece, Spain and Australia.
There will also be some great food options to line your stomach, including bao buns, crispy chicken and katsu tater tots at Bone Daddies, as well as Almost Famous, Bundobust, MorMor and Voodoo Rays.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Greg Wells, director of Manchester Craft Beer Festival, said: “It’s been a disheartening year for Manchester’s beer scene so far with closure of the beloved Indy Beer Con Fest and the unsuccessful debut of the International Brewing and Cider Festival, but we’re pleased to announce our return and bring more of what has been loved in the past three years.
“With even more breweries and experiences on offer and larger capacity this year, we’re buzzing to be back to satisfy all the beer lovers out there.
“The addition of a complimentary trade session to our programme is all about promoting this world class beer city and a small gesture to support all the incredible people who work across the drinks and hospitality industries.
“We all have a mutual understanding of the hardships our industries have faced in recent times so we thought it’d be a nice gesture to get everyone together for the love of drinks, food and music to celebrate beer and ourselves!”
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
The entry price includes all your drinks throughout your session, as well as festival glass and access to all the events happening.
And as it’s on during the Euros, it will be screening the football too.
Day tickets cost £57 per day session – with a discount for four tickets – or £145 for the whole weekend. Grab tickets HERE.
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New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
Get this one in your diary!
A brand new makers market is coming to Manchester this late May Bank Holiday weekend, with something for everyone.
Taking place at New Jackson – a new urban neighbourhood located at the southern gateway to the city – Manchester Made Market will be held on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th.
Over the two days you’ll be able to browse a selection of local artisanal traders and small businesses from across the region.
Supplied
There’ll be everything, from food produce, homewares, crafts and creations to dog accessories, house plants, jewellery and homemade soap.
Among the traders will be Manchester and Cheshire-based florist and floral artists Dot & Flora, graphic artist Ablott MCR selling music prints, HGT with crochet fashion and homeware designs, and artisan candlemakers Leaves and Prickles.
Elsewhere, there will be essential oils and other treatments from Grounded Wellness, permanent jewellery from Sealed Links, and desserts from Cake With Heart.
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There will be plenty of street food options to keep you topped up while you shop, including The Wild Grill, Food Sorcery, Salvi’s and new favourite Medlock Canteen.
Neighbourhood Brew will be supplying some great drinks as well.
Supported by Renaker, the market is free, but you can upgrade your experience with a limited, free VIP ticket with access to the dedicated bar area.
What's On
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
It’s taking place later this month!
The legendary Manchester Flower Festival is returning to our city later this month, complete with pop-ups, installations and tributes to some local icons.
Taking place over the late May Bank Holiday, the event will be headlined by its ‘Floral Trail’.
This year’s theme is Manchester Icons, with a host of names past and present being honoured in flower form, including the late comedy legend Caroline Aherne, pop star Sarah Harding and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Collaborating with Manchester illustrator Stanley Chow, floral designer Liv Woodward will create a portrait of Caroline Aherne at the Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street, using sustainably sourced plants and flowers.
Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding will be remembered in a ‘tribute garden’, sponsored by the AO Arena, with visitors able to donate to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal by scanning the QR code at the display.
The homage to Pankhurst has been created by female-led Decordia, featuring an ornate wooden Manchester Town Hall-inspired planter with sashes, posters and colourful icons, alongside a wicker figure of the suffragette herself.
This can be found at the corner of Cross Street and King Street, adorned with purple, green and white plants – the colours of the suffragette movement.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Other local legends will also be honoured with their own installations, including Happy Mondays vocalist Rowetta and iconic Manchester brewery Boddingtons .
Fringe events will be taking place too, at locations including Northern Quarter art shop Fred Aldous, The Bridgewater Hall, the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and the National Trust’s Castlefield Viaduct.
Selfridges Exchange Square, El Gato Negro, Tast Catala, Franco Manca, Grand Pacific Manchester and Urban Playground will also be taking part, with alfresco dining, festival-related dishes and cocktails.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Now in its seventh year, the Flower Festival, which is put together by Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, with live entertainment, workshops, and arts and crafts markets.
It all happens from May 24th to May 27th – head over to the website HERE to find more information.
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Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
New apartment development with huge gardens and outdoor space opening this year
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
