Christmas may have come early as Manchester City Council has announced that the festive fun is set to return to Albert Square after six long years. Albert Square next to Manchester Town Hall will welcome one of the UK’s best Christmas markets, alongside being held in locations across Manchester city centre.
As work continues to restore the city’s Grade I Listed Town Hall, work to transform and enlarge Albert Square – to create a civic square to rival the very best in Europe – has also been taking place as part of the wider Our Town Hall project. The work already completed to date on the square means that for the first time since 2019 Albert Square will once again be able to host the Manchester Christmas Markets, with part of the square – around two-thirds of it – set to be unwrapped and opened up for the festivities as an early Christmas present for the city.
When will the Manchester Christmas Markets return to Albert Square?
Known as ‘A Taste of Christmas’, the festive event will open on Albert Square from Friday 7 November 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026, bringing the space back into the heart of the city’s countdown to Christmas festivities and staying open throughout the festive season for families to enjoy into the new year. However, the other Christmas markets in the city will close on December 22 and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens will remain open throughout the Christmas period until January 4, 2026.
What to expect at Albert Square during the festive season
Complementing the city-wide festive markets that will again take over Manchester’s streets and squares as the city heads towards Christmas, Albert Square itself will be offering a Santa’s sackful of family-friendly attractions, for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Dominating a twinkling seasonal skyline on Albert Square will be a huge 50-metre-high Ferris wheel giving a stunning view of the ongoing work to restore the city’s Alfred Waterhouse-designed Town Hall, and a vintage carrousel for children of all ages, along with other Christmas fairground-style attractions.
With its own Christmas mini-market – a select handful of wooden chalets selling must-have Christmas crafts and gifts – plus a mix of independent food and drink outlets offering a tasty selection of food and drink on-the-go, along with under-cover seating areas, as well as festive lights, Christmas-themed light-up and walk-through installations, Albert Square promises to add even more Christmas magic to Manchester this year.
“A few more Santa surprises up our sleeves still to come…”
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “We’re going all out this year to make sure that Manchester is the world’s number one city for Christmas, not just in the UK, but in the world. It’s going to be brilliant to be able to celebrate the season in Albert Square once again and I personally can’t wait to get on the big wheel and eyeball the town hall clock as we countdown to Christmas in Santa’s favourite city.
“We all know that Manchester does Christmas best and we’ve got a few more Santa surprises up our sleeves still to come that we’re just putting the finishing touches to and will be sharing with you in the coming weeks. Until then, my lips are sealed.. In the meantime, dust off your baubles, un-twirl your tinsel and get ready – Albert’s back!”
What other locations will host the Manchester Christmas Markets?
Now in their 27th year, Manchester Christmas markets will also continue to have their iconic wooden chalets that attract millions of visitors each year dotted around multiple city centre locations. Manchester City Council has confirmed the market locations for this year including St Ann’s Square, King Street, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, Cathedral Gardens, Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens, as well as A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square.
“A fantastic milestone moment for Albert Square”
Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The return of Christmas festivities for the first time since 2019 is a fantastic milestone moment for Albert Square and we can’t wait to welcome people back.
“Seeing the square once again at the heart of Manchester’s Christmas programme this year is going to be brilliant, with the big wheel providing the perfect vantage point for visitors to see from on high all the painstaking and intricate work being done to repair and restore our magnificent Grade 1 Listed Town hall.
“A Taste of Christmas is just the first in a whole series of events and activities leading up to the full re-opening of the Town Hall and Albert Square that will reflect the important part that our amazing, iconic and unmatched civic spaces have played in the life of the city for well over a century now, whilst also looking ahead to the next hundred years and the part our newly restored Town Hall and Albert Square will continue to play in the future, alongside all the new opportunities they will bring.”
Manchester’s Christmas Markets will open across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December, except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.
