Here’s everything you need to know before visiting the Manchester Christmas markets

Just like Christmas trees and bratwurst, Christmas markets are another export from our German neighbours across the North sea. And, like with those baubles shaped as Yorkshire puddings or beans on toast, we’ve added our own touch to them. Instead of Glühwein, we have mulled wine. Instead of gingerbread stands, we have Kingdom of Sweets with ABBA playing on the speakers.

Getting around the markets

While the idea of markets spread across nine locations in the city centre might sound overwhelming, they’re surprisingly easy to navigate since most of them connect to each other.

Just start at Piccadilly Gardens and follow the crowds down Market Street. Be sure not to miss the ice rink in Cathedral Gardens if you fancy a little skating session: Make sure to book ahead to avoid being turned away (like we were).

There are a huge variety of stalls with pretty much anything you could want: Huge colourful wedges of soap, artisanal cheeses, toffee vodka, sterling silver jewellery, personalised Christmas decorations, Toblerones bigger than your arm, funky jams, and much more. The stall owners are super friendly and many offer little samples to try out, so take your pick.

That said, with over 200 stalls, some repetition is inevitable: Don’t worry about missing out if your legs get tired after walking through only half the market.

Live music adds to the festive atmosphere, with plenty of performers scattered throughout the market. Keep an ear out for self-proclaimed crooner Paul Taylor singing smooth Bublé classics or a brilliant saxophonist blasting out festive tunes.

Festive food and drinks

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The markets boast an amazing selection of food from around the world: Brazilian, French, German, Indian, Korean, and more. To help us test out as many of the offerings as possible, we collaborated with a non-student (someone with an actual real-life job) who was willing to spend the cash. 

Here’s a collection of our findings, rated from best to worst: 

Mini cannoli – 20/10

Cannolis are for sale for £2 at Ballaro on King Street. We strongly recommend going for the one with ricotta and chocolate chips – it’s the classic for a reason! Starting strong with 20/10.

Coconut Macaroon – 10/10

These little coconutty fresh fluffy balls of heaven can be at Neve in Piccadilly Gardens for only £2.50.

Kaiserschmarrn – 9/10

Also at Neve, these hot scrambled pancakes are given a generous drizzling of either Nutella or white chocolate for £7, as well as icing sugar. If you want whipped cream, that’s an extra pound. Yes, sounds expensive, but they were an absolute highlight – the soft, fluffy texture takes you by surprise and is an absolute treat.

Mulled cider – 8/10

This was found at the Bars@Yours Ltd stand at the far end of Piccadilly Gardens. You can get medium for £5.50 and large for £6, so definitely worth going for the large. Again: Tasty and warming, and a good-sized mug.

Chicken gyros and a halloumi wrap – 8/10

These were both delicious and made very speedily by the Eat Greek stall in Piccadilly Gardens. Both cost £11. The mint sauce, the red onions, the chips inside – delectable! Only let down was that we felt the gyros was stingy on the chicken. 

Giant filled yorkies – 7.5/10

These are also available in Piccadilly Gardens (this is where some of the most interesting stands seem to be), and they offer a wide range of canteen-like food to fill your Yorkie.

As canteen food lovers, we were very happy with our chicken roast dinner for £10 – carrots, peas, mashed potatoes (with cheese on top if desired) and chicken, all wrapped in a Yorkshire pudding and covered in delicious gravy. This seemed to be a fair price for a lot of food and it tasted good. 

Mulled wine – 7/10

We found this in Bar 3 in New Cathedral Street for £5.50, a pretty standard price for it at the market, but you will find multiple stands selling this. It was piping hot, comforting, and a must-have for your visit, to capture that festive vibe.

However, we felt it could have been mulled more, as the sense of cloves and spices did not quite carry through. You can’t leave the area with the mug, however, so drink up! 

Currywurst – 5/10 

A tasty German delicacy, consisting of chopped sausage coated in a tomato sauce flavoured with curry powder and other spices. This was served by The Witch House at New Cathedral Street. The flavours were good but they charged £9.50 for just the sausage and sauce, without even any chips to go with it! This was more expensive than the bratwurst (£8), which comes with a bread roll and onions – poor value for money. 

Veggie chicken bao buns – 4/10

Also at Piccadilly Gardens by Artisan Catering Services, the chicken in these looked delicious – yummy Korean-fried chicken – but we decided to test out the veggie option. Unfortunately, this option was just a couple of Quorn chicken nuggets in a bao bun.

Garlic Prawnies – 3.5/10

These can be found at Ma Cuisine Francais in Piccadilly Gardens. A French friend had already warned against these, pointing at the small print on the sign, which states that the prawnies are actually made from surimi, a paste made from fish but shaped to look like giant prawns. We were too intrigued not to try, but regretted it, unfortunately.

It had a pastey texture which didn’t work for us. However, the server was generous with the helpings, and the garlic mushrooms and potatoes looked delish so perhaps try those instead. 

Our top tips

• If you drink your body weight in mulled wine: There are portaloos in Piccadilly Gardens and Cathedral Gardens, and several businesses in the centre will also let you use their toilets (Mc Donald’s in St Ann’s Square, Marks and Spencer at the end of Market Street, the Central Library).
• Wear a big coat and gloves: Even though you’re walking around, it can still be nippy at night.
• Go on a weekday: On the weekend, it is reminiscent of the opening battle in Gladiator so, unless you are in the mood to recreate this iconic movie scene, stick to a Wednesday visit if you can. The image below is an example of a Saturday afternoon to scare you off: