… And we can’t say we’re surprised, to be honest. After all, there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere in Manchester during the festive season – all thanks to our second-to-none markets which take over the entire city. A huge staple in the city’s annual calendar, both locals and Brits from afar make sure to visit the event every single year, taking advantage of its many, many gift stalls, festive-themed food and drink created by local bars, restaurants and Bavarian traders, and stunning light displays which now include a twinkling trail of Christmas-themed sculptures.
And it seems we’re not alone in rating Manchester’s Christmas efforts, either, with people all over the globe mentioning it in European Best Destination organization’s latest poll, which asked where travellers hoped to vacation over Christmas 2021. Asking voters from 121 countries in Europe and further afield in China, the US, Canada and Australia, Manchester managed to scramble its way into the top 10, with many saying they’d love to visit for the famous Christmas market.
Ranking Manchester in 10th place, Forbes reported: “The Manchester Christmas Markets is among the largest, most original and – arguably – the best Christmas market in the UK.
“Started in 1999, the first Christmas market in the UK has grown every year since, now attracting more than nine million visitors to its 300 beautifully crafted stalls spread across 10 individual sites – each with its own distinctive character and offering international food, drinks and finely crafted Yuletide gifts.”
Marking the only UK destination in the top 10, Manchester was joined by Basel, Switzerland (#1), Budapest (#2), Poznan (#3), Vienna (#4), Brussels (#5), Trier, Germany (#6), Dresden, Germany (#7), Madeira (#8), and Tbilisi, Georgia (#9), with Bath (#19) and Edinburgh (#16) ranking lower down the list marking the only other UK destinations to be named.
It’s the second time Manchester has been hailed as ‘one of the best in the world’ this week, too, with Timeout calling us the third best city in the world just yesterday. What a week for Mancs, eh?