Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 Open on 6 November With Fewer Stalls and One New Square

The stalls go up across Manchester city centre on Friday 6 November. If you were squeezing between chalets on St Ann’s Square last winter, you’ll find there are fewer of them this time, because Manchester City Council has put this year’s total at more than 210 stalls across ten locations. Last year it was 274, which the council called more seasonal stalls than ever.

Entry is free as it always has been, and you only pay for the rides, the ice rink and whatever you eat and drink on the way round. Fewer stalls won’t mean a shorter walk, since the markets are still spread over ten sites and one of them, Lincoln Square, is new this year.

Most Sites Close on 22 December, but Two Stay Open Until 3 January

The main run lasts from Friday 6 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026, and most locations trade from 10am to 9pm every day up to then. The council’s Facebook event gives the last day as Monday 22 December. The 22nd falls on a Tuesday this year, so anyone planning around a Monday finish would have been a day out.

The same listing shows the event starting at midday UK time, but the stalls open at 10am on the first day like every other day.

Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens are the only two sites that carry on past 22 December, and both close on Sunday 3 January 2027. Albert Square keeps its own hours over Christmas and New Year:

Because the square stays open until 12.30am on New Year’s Eve, you could be on the big wheel as midnight comes round, which is how a lot of people saw in 2026 when Albert Square opened for New Year last time.

Lincoln Square Is New and St Ann’s Square Has Been Laid Out Again

Lincoln Square, next to Brazennose Street, is the first new site in the lineup, and the council has set it up as a food and drink market. It’s a short walk from Albert Square, so you can eat there and carry on up King Street without doubling back.

St Ann’s Square is where Manchester’s first Christmas market opened in 1999, and the council has had it laid out again this year with more craft, food and drink traders. Regulars who head for the same corner every year should give themselves a minute to find their bearings, because the stalls won’t be where they left them.

Over at Albert Square the helter skelter and the big wheel are back, and the council has promised some new attractions there without saying much yet about what they are. The wheel is 50 metres high and was billed last year as the biggest mobile wheel in the UK. A ride lasts around 10 to 15 minutes. Tickets in 2025 cost £8 off peak and £9.50 at peak times, but we couldn’t find this year’s prices confirmed, so treat those figures as a guide.

Skate Manchester Is Cheapest on Weekday Afternoons Before 18 December

The ice rink at Cathedral Gardens opens on 6 November alongside the markets and runs until 3 January, closing only on Christmas Day. It’s covered, so a wet evening won’t stop it, and a session on the ice lasts up to 45 minutes. The hours change partway through the season:

• From 6 November to 6 December, the rink is open from 11am to 9pm.
• From 7 December to 3 January, skating starts at 10am and still finishes at 9pm.
• The last session of the day begins at 8pm in both periods.

Standard prices depend on when you book, and skate hire is included in all of them. Adults and teens aged 13 and over are paying £15 to £21, and children aged 12 and under pay £13.75 to £15.50. A family ticket for two adults and two children, or one adult and three children, costs £44 to £59. There’s a booking fee on top, and you won’t get that back.

Most of the cheaper deals end on 18 December, so families who wait until the school holidays will miss them. On Tuesdays between 4pm and 6pm, children skate free when an adult pays for a session, and on weekday afternoons from 2pm to 3pm a parent and a young child can skate together for £15. Students can get on the ice for £10 on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, while Manchester residents get 20 per cent off on Mondays and Tuesdays with the code LCLOVE2026.

For a family, a Tuesday between 4pm and 6pm before 18 December is the cheapest time to skate. This year you can also move your ticket to another date or time up to 24 hours before the session if plans change.

Work From the Town Hall Up to the Cathedral

The ten sites stretch from the Town Hall end of the city centre up to Manchester Cathedral, and the walk is a lot easier if you pick one end and keep going. Starting at Albert Square and Lincoln Square, you’d head up King Street to St Ann’s Square, pass Market Street, Exchange Street and New Cathedral Street, and finish in the cluster around Exchange Square, the Corn Exchange and Cathedral Gardens.

The ten locations for 2026 are:

• Albert Square
• Lincoln Square
• King Street
• St Ann’s Square
• Corn Exchange
• Exchange Street
• New Cathedral Street
• Market Street
• Exchange Square
• Cathedral Gardens

Ending at Cathedral Gardens puts the rink last, which suits anyone with an evening session booked. The Manchester Christmas Parade is on Sunday 6 December and the centre will be busier than usual that day, so if you’re coming for the markets alone you might want to pick another weekend. Coming in by tram or train saves you hunting for parking, and Transport for Greater Manchester runs its own travel page for the markets.

Go on a Weekday in November

The best visit this year is a weekday in November, when all ten sites are trading and the rink’s cheaper deals are still running without the December weekend crowds. If December is the only time you can go, aim for a Monday or Tuesday before the 18th and save Albert Square for the days after Christmas, when it’s one of the two places still open.