Love them or hate them, Manchester’s Christmas Markets are set to make a return to the city this year, but their usual location at Albert Square is currently out of action.
While the heart of the markets is usually centred around Albert Square, ongoing renovations to the Town Hall have forced them to move to Piccadilly Gardens, the council have confirmed today.
The area will be transformed into the ‘Winter Gardens’, with all the usual yuletide bars, market stalls and food huts.
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Plans for the Winter Gardens also include a one-way system and separate entrances and exits, as well as a strict limit on visitors to limit the spread of Covid-19.
They are also adding a fully accessible toilet to make the Winter Garden as inclusive as possible.
Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “It’s wonderful to welcome back our world-famous Christmas Markets and the addition of the Winter Gardens for the very first time.
“Manchester has been the capital of Christmas for twenty-two years since the very first Christmas Market arrived in the UK in 1999 and we know it was a huge disappointment that we had to scale back our celebrations last year.
“We’re making up for lost time this year and I can’t wait to see the transformation in the city centre into the festive wonderland we know and love.”
