After what feels like an absolute age, Manchester City Council has announced that fireworks will finally be returning to the city centre for official New Year’s Eve celebrations. The city centre has not hosted an official New Year’s Eve fireworks display since before the Covid-19 pandemic, back in 2019.
Manchester City Council confirmed that the fireworks will be back on December 31 in an official celebration in Manchester city centre, with the location now confirmed as Castlefield Bowl. Last year a New Year’s Eve countdown event was held in Piccadilly Gardens, but fireworks were not included.
Bonfire Night fireworks displays in Manchester parks were also cancelled again earlier this year, with the council’s reason for cancellation being due to “rising costs”. However, following the news that the Chanel Métiers d’Art fashion show in the Northern Quarter brought a whopping £8 million to the city and catapulted Manchester’s potential, council bosses believe “the time is now right” to host an official New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Further details now released reveal that the free, family-friendly event with be an alcohol-free affair designed for the community to ring in the new year safely. Find all the information about this year’s event below.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas and New Year spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said: “No-one can deny that 2023 has proved to be quite the year for Manchester with a list of successes in the fields of culture and sport as long as your arm, added to a rapidly growing global reputation as a city to do business with. Coming as it does after the dark days of the last few years, we think the time is now right to show how proud we are of our fantastic city and to celebrate it as we close the door on 2023 and look ahead to 2024 and beyond.
“This in no way means we’ve forgotten how hard life is for a lot of people just now, but we do know that bringing people together helps – it’s what Manchester does best. Mancunians really are the best people in the world and we can’t think of a better way of welcoming in a new year filled with new possibilities for all of us, than spending it with those we love.”
When will Manchester’s New Year’s Eve fireworks take place?
The Manchester New Year’s Eve fireworks display will take place on December 31 – New Year’s Eve itself – and will kick off at 10pm, two hours before the ball drops.
The free community event will mark the city’s first of its kind since before the pandemic, so we anticipate there’ll be quite some excitement among those still looking to secure their New Year’s Eve plans.
Where will Manchester’s New Year’s Eve fireworks take place?
Manchester City Council has confirmed Castlefield Bowl as this year’s location. The event has the capacity for 10,000 people, and will permit entry on a first-come-first-serve basis. We recommend getting down for when the event kicks off if you want to secure your place inside the event space. Pedestrian access into the event area will be from Liverpool Road or Duke Street.
What can I expect from Manchester’s New Year’s Eve fireworks event?
Entertainment has been confirmed from 10pm for the event, including a live DJ set from Hits Radio DJ Jordan Lee. Guests can also expect a traditional time-to-hug-all-your-friends countdown to midnight, alongside, of course, a fireworks extravaganza to see in 2024.
It’s confirmed that the event will be alcohol-free, and bag searches will be in operation on the night. The council has advised that there will be a size limit on bags of around A4 size. The event will be standing-only.
How to get to Manchester’s New Year’s Eve event
There’ll be various road closures to bear in mind when travelling to this year’s event, as outlined below:
Duke Place (Duke St – Arena) 20:30 – 01:00
Rice Street (Duke St – Arena) 20:30 – 00:45 (Resident vehicles managed in and out of closure)
Liverpool Rd (Potato Wharf – Lower Byrom St) 20:30 – 01:00
Duke Street (Stone St – Castle St) 23:00 – 00:45
Beaufort St (Collier St – Duke St) 23:00 – 00:45
Castle St (Car Park – Canal Bridge) 23:00 – 00:30 (restrictions out of car park between 23:30- 00:15)
Local Ubers and taxis will be in operation, however, in high demand. Stagecoach buses will be running special services for routes 42, 43, 86, 192 and 201 during the early hours of New Year’s Day to help residents get home safely. Tram services will run from Market Street and Shudehill until 1am on New Year’s Day. The closest tram stop is Deansgate-Castlefield, and the closest train station is Deansgate or Manchester Oxford Road.