Manchester is on course for its best Christmas ever this year
with the return of festive fun to Albert Square, alongside the
city's world-beating festive markets that are now
well-established at locations throughout the city centre, and
each year attract millions of visitors to the city.
As work continues to restore the city's magnificent Grade 1
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, which is widely recognised as the largest and most
complex heritage project taking place anywhere in the UK.
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 play a role in the city's much-loved seasonal celebrations,
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.
A Taste of Christmas 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.
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 full of Christmas cheer
and Mancunian magic with 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
an enormous 50-metre-high Ferris wheel giving a stunning Santa's
sleigh view of the ongoing work to restore the city's Alfred
Waterhouse designed Town Hall, and an enchanting memory-making
vintage Carousel 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
good 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, and plenty of seasonal
selfie backdrop spots, Albert Square promises to add even more
Christmas magic to Manchester this year.
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!"
Now in their 27th year, Manchester's world-famous Christmas
markets with their iconic wooden chalets attract millions of
visitors each year to the city, bringing with them a huge boost
to the city's economy.
For over a quarter of a century the markets have continued to
delight shoppers and visitors alike who visit them to fill up on
the fantastic festive treats on offer and to soak up the glühwein
and bratwurst-filled atmosphere of Christmas in the
city.
With confirmed market locations for this year including St Ann's
Square, King Street, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street,
Exchange Square, Corn Exchange and Cathedral Gardens, Market
Street and Piccadilly Gardens, as well as A Taste of
Christmas on Albert Square, the city is expecting a
bumper Christmas season with even more visitors putting
Manchester and the markets on their Christmas wish list of places
to go and things to do during the festive season.
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.
