Now in their 27th year and named the best in the UK, Manchester Christmas Markets will be bringing back their iconic wooden chalets for 2026. Attracting millions of visitors each year, the markets are dotted around multiple city centre locations. There will be around 200 stalls across ten sites, with Albert Square at the heart of the festivities.
Alongside a giant Ferris wheel, pop-up pub, and tree selfie sleigh in Albert Square, this year’s Christmas markets will also see the return of the iconic giant Santa to the Town Hall after nearly a decade. Visitors can also explore a new market site at Lincoln Square, a redesigned layout at St Ann’s Square, and the Skate MCR undercover ice rink at Cathedral Gardens.
Visitors can get wrapped up in the magical atmosphere as they browse local and international crafts, tuck into food ranging from swing grills to Dutch pancakes, and visit bars serving hot drinks in Manchester Christmas market’s iconic mugs.
When do the markets take place?
The markets run daily from Friday 6 November to Tuesday 22 December. Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens remain open through to Sunday 3 January 2027 with tailored festive hours, including an extended late-night celebration past midnight on New Year’s Eve at Albert Square.
Craft stalls and stalls selling seasonal goods will be open every day at all locations, except Market Street, from 10am – 9pm, whilst stalls selling food and drink will be open from 11am – 9pm each day. The opening hours at Market Street will be from 10am – 9pm every day except Sundays when the stalls there will close at 6 pm.
Where will Manchester Christmas Markets take place?
Visitors can find stalls across the city at the following locations:
- Albert Square
- Lincoln Square
- St Ann’s Square
- Exchange Square
- New Cathedral Street
- King Street
- Exchange Street
- Market Street
- Corn Exchange
- Cathedral Gardens
Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 map
How to get to Manchester Christmas Markets
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has urged people to use public transport wherever possible to travel in and out of the city centre for the Manchester Christmas Markets. But the markets are just the start of the festive period, with the city centre seeing events galore over the seven weeks that the markets are on, including Black Friday and Christmas shopping, sports matches and work Christmas parties on the horizon.
The nearest train stations are Manchester Oxford Road, Piccadilly, Victoria and Deansgate-Castlefield. The closest tram stops to Manchester Christmas Markets are Victoria, Market Street, Exchange Square and St Peter’s Square. There is also the free city centre bus which you can hop on and off of. You can find more travel information on the TfGM website here.
Manchester Christmas Markets mug scheme and price
The Manchester Christmas Markets mugs are a tradition in themselves, with Manchester City Council revealing a new design every year. The retro-style artwork shows giant Santa, A.KA. Zippy 2.0 (who is back in Albert Square), surrounded by gift-wrapped presents and fir trees under a night sky, with snow falling over the Manchester skyline. The Town Hall and its clock tower sit to one side.
Manchester’s special edition Christmas mugs can either be bought outright by Christmas shoppers or ‘rented’ when they purchase a hot drink at one of the Christmas Market stalls. Customers will be asked to pay a deposit of £3.50 for their mug when they purchase a hot drink and can then either choose to return their mug to the stall afterwards to get their deposit back, or keep the mug and take it home with them as a souvenir of their visit to the markets.
Which traders will be at Manchester Christmas Markets?
Manchester City Council announced a long list of traders, with almost 200 stalls dotted across the Christmas Markets locations. Visitors can expect well-known names in Manchester like Yard & Coop, Porky Pig, The Great North Pie Company, The Salford Rum Company, Mr Murray’s Scotch Eggs, The Flat Baker, Oi Dumplings and Rita’s Reign. Check out the full list of traders and their locations here.
Will there be a Christmas Parade?
Manchester City Council has revealed that the Christmas Parade will be making a return to the city on Sunday 6th December. The parade sees roaming puppets and illuminated acts take to the city’s main shopping streets in the lead-up to Christmas.
