Manchester Christmas Markets

When is Manchester Christmas Markets 2026?

Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 runs November 6 to December 22, 2026.

How the dates are set: Manchester City Council announces the dates each year; the markets open in early November and run to just before Christmas, with two sites staying open into January.

See every event in November 2026

Source: bbc.com

Manchester Christmas Markets schedule

• Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, December 22, 2026: The markets are open every day across ten locations in the city center.
• Until Sunday, January 3, 2027: Stalls at Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open over the Christmas period, and Cathedral Gardens has an undercover ice rink until 3 January.
• Sunday, December 6, 2026: The Manchester Christmas Parade is held.
• Opening hours, 2026: The markets are open Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 9 pm, and most craft stalls close at 8 pm.
• Albert Square: The square in front of the Town Hall is the centerpiece, with a 50-metre Ferris wheel, a vintage helter-skelter and a new pop-up pub run by the markets.

Sources: bbc.com, solosophie.com, ultimatechristmasmarkets.com

Getting to Manchester Christmas Markets

• The markets can be reached by bus, train or Metrolink, and there are 24 park and ride sites around Greater Manchester.
• Car parking is available in the city center, including at university car parks such as Booth Street West off Oxford Road.
• The closest train stations are Deansgate and Victoria.

Sources: bbc.com, solosophie.com

Where to stay in Manchester

• The markets form a loop through the middle of the city. The BrewDog Hotel on Fountain Street sits inside it, a 3-minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens. A stay of 3 or 4 nights suits visitors coming from afar.

Source: ultimatechristmasmarkets.com

Tickets and cost

Entry to the Manchester Christmas Markets is free in 2026, and visitors do not need to book. The cost of rides was still to be confirmed.

Source: bbc.com

Manchester Christmas Markets: questions people ask

Sources: bbc.com, solosophie.com, ultimatechristmasmarkets.com

About Manchester Christmas Markets

Ten market sites across Manchester city center, with a Ferris wheel on Albert Square and an undercover ice rink.

The markets are spread across ten sites in the city center, all within a few minutes' walk of each other. Albert Square is the main hub, with a 50-metre Ferris wheel and a vintage helter-skelter. Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open until January 3, 2027. Weekend evenings get packed, and weekday daytimes are much calmer.

Know before you go

• Take public transport; city-centre roads are congested during the markets.
• No plastic water bottles are sold at the markets, and the Refill app lists more than 80 places in the city centre to top up.
• All ten sites are within a few minutes' walk of each other, and the free city-centre bus links Piccadilly station with the centre.

• Every November to JanuaryHyde Park Winter WonderlandLondon, England
• Every November to JanuaryEdinburgh Christmas MarketEdinburgh, Scotland
• Every November to DecemberBath Christmas MarketBath, Somerset
• Every November to DecemberYork Christmas MarketYork, North Yorkshire
• Every November to DecemberBirmingham Frankfurt Christmas MarketBirmingham, West Midlands
• Every November to DecemberVienna Christmas MarketsVienna, Austria
• Every November to DecemberColmar Christmas MarketsColmar, Alsace
• Every November to JanuaryPrague Christmas MarketsPrague, Czech Republic
• Every November to DecemberMunich Christmas MarketsMunich, Bavaria
• Every November to JanuaryCopenhagen Christmas MarketsCopenhagen, Capital Region
• Every November to JanuaryBruges Christmas MarketBruges, West Flanders
• Every November to JanuaryBerlin Christmas MarketsBerlin, Germany