One area of the markets opens ahead of the official launch
The first stalls have opened at Manchester Christmas Markets(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Manchester’s Christmas Markets don’t officially launch until next month, but there’s one zone that’s already up and running.
With the arrival of the Skate Manchester ice rink, which has opened as Scare Skate for October half term and Halloween, the stalls at Cathedral Gardens opened on Friday, October 24.
While prices differ across the various zones – and there will be 10 city centre locations this year – it means customers now have some idea of what this year’s festive food and drinks are going to cost.
There are a number of stalls at Cathedral Gardens selling all the usual favourites including Bratwurst, Yorkshire pudding wraps, mini Dutch pancakes and Greek street food.
There’s also the Winter Bar and The Globe Bar selling a selection of drinks.
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While a few prices have stayed the same as last year – with Bratwurst and other flavoured sausages costing £8 and Frankfurters £7 – most items have risen.
The stalls have opened at Cathedral Gardens(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Last year’s Yorkshire pudding wraps were all £10, except for the mixed meat costing £12. You can still get the chicken one for £10, but the beef and minted lamb are now £12 each and the mixed meat is £13.
Greek gyros are pretty much the same, mostly £11 each, but a pitta box is now £15 including chicken, lamb, halloumi, feta and olives and falafel.
Some of the Winter Bar’s hot drinks have remained the same, with hot chocolate, lattes and other coffees £4 each and liqueur coffees £7, but the Baileys Hot Chocolate with Brandy or Amaretto is up from £7 to £8, gin and tonics up from £6.50 to £7, and sparkling prosecco up from £7 to £8.50.
The Winter Bar(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Cocktails however, including Drumstick, Caramel Eggnog, Parma Violet, The Grinch, Cranberry Kringle and Winter Snowflake, are down from £9 last year to £8.50.
At The Globe Bar, Lufstorm lager, Airstream ale and cider are now £6.50 a pint, up 50p from last year, prosecco is up from £6.50 to £7, and winter gin prosecco still £8.50.
Spirits are up from £6.50 single, £8.50 double to £7 and £9 respectively, while flavoured espresso martinis – chocolate orange, black forest gateau and Christmastini – are up from £8.50 to £9.50.
Mulled wine has gone from £5.50/£6 to £5.50/£6.50, with shots up from £2.50/£3.50 to £3/£4 and spiced rum punch and mulled spiced gin now £9 compared with £8.50 last Christmas.
This year’s mug designs (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
The Dutch Mini Pancakes are always popular among the sweet-toothed visitors and you can expect to pay a standard £6 a pop this year. Previously they were £5 with certain toppings, which include white chocolate, maple syrup, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, or lemon, Bueno, Pistachio, Fizzy Pop, Lotus Biscoff and Nutella. Extra toppings cost a £1 instead of 50p.
The Christmas mugs are back too with a new cartoon toy town design for 2025. The tall and short mugs are used across the Christmas Markets stalls for gluhwein and hot chocolate drinks.
As always Manchester’s special edition Christmas mugs can either be bought outright by Christmas shoppers or ‘rented’ when they purchase a hot drink at one of the Christmas Market stalls.
The price of the mugs has been kept the same as last year with customers asked to pay a deposit of £3.50 for their mug when they purchase either a hot chocolate or a gluhwein.
The Dutch Mini Pancakes (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
They can then either choose to return their mug to the stall afterwards to get their deposit back, or keep the mug and take it home with them as a souvenir of their visit to Manchester and the markets.
This year’s Christmas Markets promise to be bigger and better than ever with 274 stalls across 10 sites, including a reopened section of Albert Square.
Returning for the first time in several years, Albert Square will host ‘A Taste of Christmas’: a festive ‘mini market’ selling food, drinks and crafts.
The square will be home to a huge Ferris wheel, giving breathtaking views of Manchester’s Town Hall.
The Markets open in full on Friday, November 7 and close on Monday, December 22, except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.