The 2024 Christmas Markets got off to a roaring start today, with their first Saturday of the year seeing thousands of people packing the streets of Manchester City Centre.
Bratwurst, mulled wine, hot chocolate, crepes – all the usual favourites were in plentiful supply across the some 240 stalls, scattered across the nine different sites.
But beside the usual suspects there was a raft of international cuisine with Austrian, Spanish, Indian, French, Brazilian, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Dutch specialities leaving the markets’ punters spoilt for choice.
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And there were some new twists on old classics on offer as well: a formidable-looking shepherd’s pie loaded Yorkshire pudding, literal shots of melted chocolate inside solid chocolate cups, and a footlong pig-in-blanket at Porky Pig.
On an already busy weekend, which sees Manchester play host to the MTV EMAs, a clash at home for Manchester United, and a host of Remembrance Sunday events, the famously unreliable Manchester weather was on decent form today, with the day starting off grey, dry and cold, giving shoppers the perfect excuse to don their best coats and scarves.
While attracting a strong turnout on the first official day yesterday (November 8), today was expected to be even busier as it was the market’s first weekend – and the people of Manchester did not disappoint.
Open from 10am, the markets’ hub in Piccadilly Gardens (known as the Winter Gardens) was bustling with people long before midday. A steady queue was forming at Pancake House, while half a mile away on Exchange Square, the line for Porky Pig’s Yorkshire pudding wraps was extending halfway to the Printworks.
The Piccadilly Gardens location of the market has earned some criticism in recent years, having been moved from Albert Square due to renovations of the town hall which began in 2018. But the site is impressively well-organised this year, with a raft of portaloos and cabins for ambulance and security staff.
It’s also much more spacious than the Albert Square site used to be, which many Mancs will remember for being packed cheek by jowl as punters on their third mulled wine jostled for position in a mammoth queue for a bratwurst.
But it’s not all about drinking, as the markets were filled with young families and most of the bars had several alcohol-free options including mocktails, Nosecco and alcohol-free mulled wine.
And there is plenty of choice to accommodate all sorts of dietary requirements too. Food stalls with no vegan or vegetarian options were decidedly in the minority: there were vegan luxury hot chocolates, meat-free bratwurst, deep fried oyster mushrooms at Yard and Coop and a whole host of veggie and vegan carvery boxes at Porky Pig.
Beside the staggering choice of food on offer, the market remains a reliable source of Christmas gifts and stocking fillers, for those already starting their shopping.
There were solid wood chess sets and nativity scenes, personalised tree ornaments, baubles and keyrings emblazoned with the Manchester Bee, wall lights for your teenagers’ bedroom, and a whole host of film posters and art work.
Rounding out the retail offering were brightly coloured soaps, expensive-smelling candles, metal sculptures, painted pocket-watches, and a number of stalls selling cosy scarves, jumpers, plush fluffy furs and baby clothes.
But in case you needed any more food and drink, you’ll find gin and ale in every flavour under the sun, more imported cheese and meat than you could shake a stick at, and enough sweets, chocolate and fudge to make your teeth hurt just looking at it.
By the time 3pm rolled around, the centre of town and Market Street in particular were predictably choked with people. Getting around quickly is hard enough already on any given Saturday, but the markets at the weekend are best avoided if you are crowd-averse.
It’s this – the huge numbers the markets attract each year – that has made them unpopular with some residents. One man sheltering from the scrum in Market Street Costa, who did not give his name, didn’t hold back: “My friends and I hate them.”
“It’s the same tat every year. Why disrupt my life for sh*tty knickknacks? It adds about ten minutes to my walk to work and makes getting through town impossible.”
But his family, who had come to visit for the weekend, had the opposite opinion. “We love it,” smiled his grandmother as she sipped on an enormous hot chocolate piled with snowy whipped cream.
And the further economic benefit to the city is impossible to deny. The pubs, cafes, bars and and restaurants surrounding the market had hardly a spare seat, windows glowing yellow in the dark evening, fogged up with condensation from the diners within.
Love them or hate them, the markets are here to stay with us for the next six weeks. Lean into the season with a mulled wine margarita and a bratwurst the size of your head, or avoid the area like the plague – the choice is up to you.
The markets will be open every day from 10am to 9pm until December 22.
