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After the recent announcement that Manchester’s city parks will not be hosting their annual Bonfire Night events this year, it seems there will be even less sparkle as there will not be a Christmas lights switch-on event in Manchester either. Revealing the news recently, Manchester City Council said there is no suitable and safe location to host the annual event that usually kicks off the festive season in the city.
According to the Council, “bosses have spent the last few weeks trying hard to find a location that would be both big enough – with appropriate sightlines for an audience of families with small children – and also safe enough to host the much-loved annual event that regularly attracts thousands of people into the city centre to kickstart the festive season.” However, with the amount of construction work currently underway at key locations in the city centre this year, such as the Town Hall, Manchester City Council bosses have ruled out the possibility of a big switch-on event.
Plans are however already being made to ensure that the event returns to the city centre again next year, ahead of what promises to be “the biggest and best ever switch-on event in Manchester’s history” in 2024. Next year, the people of Manchester can hopefully expect the Christmas lights switch-on event to once again return to Albert Square in front of the city’s majestic and magnificent Victorian Town Hall.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said: “We’ve tried really hard to make a big Christmas lights switch-on event happen again this year after not being able to have one for the last couple of years, but despite our very best efforts this just isn’t going to be possible. Anyone who has been in the city centre recently can’t fail to have noticed all the development work going on to make Manchester even better than it already is, and as great as this is it does mean we’ve not got the space needed to safely manage a big switch-on event this year.
“The ongoing work to renovate the Town Hall rules out Albert Square […] Piccadilly Gardens unfortunately isn’t suitable in its current formation for a switch-on event, and after having a good look at safety and sightline issues we’ve also had to rule out St Peter’s Square as a site that is just too complex to manage to ensure a successful event that could be enjoyed by the thousands of people, including young children, who usually attend.
“…In the meantime we’ve pulled out all the stops and have got some extra special Manchester Christmas magic in store this year to bring a sparkle to the city’s streets and put a smile on everyone’s faces. Watch this space for more announcements very soon on some absolutely not-to-be-missed free festive treats coming to Manchester this Christmas.”
Although there won’t be a big switch-on event this year, the city centre will still be dressed in its sparkly Christmas best with streetlights, lights in trees, and light installations throughout the city centre from November 10 when the Christmas Markets open.
The welcome return of Father Christmas who will once again be taking up residence in front of Central Library in St Peter’s Square for the duration of the festive season.