Christmas market in Manchester: “Great return” cancelled

The main hub for the markets has been confirmed for this year

Manchester's much-anticipated 'grand return' of the iconic Christmas markets to Albert Square in 2024 has been cancelled. The city council has confirmed that the major redevelopment of Manchester's historic Albert Square, which is a key part of the Our Town Hall project, will not be completed in time for the Christmas season in November 2024.

Therefore, the main attraction of the Christmas markets will once again be in Piccadilly Gardens this year. There were high hopes that 2024 would see the resurrection of the markets in their most famous location, complete with a dazzling Christmas lights switch-on against the backdrop of Manchester Town Hall to boost the Christmas spirit.

However, Britain's largest monument restoration project has suffered numerous setbacks. The budget for the work has ballooned to a staggering £357 million.

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Previously, city council officials had pledged a festive comeback of Albert Square in 2022 by 2024, touting it as “the biggest and best switch-on event in Manchester's history”. Pat Karney, the city's Christmas spokesman, said: “Manchester's best Christmas switch-on event ever will take place in 2024 when our wonderful City Hall and Albert Square are brought back into use.”

Despite these earlier promises, councillors have now admitted that the project's timetable will not match the original plans, reports the Manchester Evening News. They said “challenges beyond our control” were the reason for the delay in restoration work.

Most of Manchester's famous Town Hall is still hidden behind construction fencing and Albert Square is largely inaccessible to the public due to ongoing building work, but part of it was reopened last year as part of the pedestrianisation project around the square.

It's been five years since Manchester's Christmas markets graced Albert Square, with 2019 being the last time Zippy Santa made an appearance at the city's festive celebrations. Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, today provided an update: “The original timeline for the Our Town Hall project, which will transform Albert Square into a world-class venue, was for the square to be back in full use by the end of 2024.

“But challenges beyond our control, including the global Covid pandemic, mean the project is taking longer than originally expected. It's not just about reopening the square, but transforming it into a public square that can compete with the best in Europe.

“The redesigned square will be significantly larger – around 25% larger due to the inclusion of pedestrian zones on its edges. We are already seeing initial improvements to the square – new trees have been planted and a significant part of the square has already been reopened for public use.”

“It is already very popular with the surrounding shops, which are expanding their range and attracting customers. We would like to open up more areas of the square as soon as possible – including for our fantastic Christmas markets – and at the earliest possible date.”

However, city centre officials have confirmed that there will indeed be a magical comeback of the popular Christmas markets in other parts of the city. The main attractions will once again light up Piccadilly Gardens. The celebrations will spread across the city, reaching Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square, Market Street, King Street and St Ann's Square.

The official start date for the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 has not yet been set, but they traditionally begin on the second Friday in November, which this season is November 8th, and run until the week before Christmas Day.

Councillor Pat Karney said: “I am personally very disappointed that due to circumstances beyond our control we will not be able to attend Albert Square as planned this year.”

He added: “We would have loved to bring Christmas back to Albert Square this year in all its Manchester glory, but due to the ongoing restoration work on our wonderful Grade II listed Town Hall, this is simply not possible.”

“But rest assured, Christmas in Manchester will be fabulous. We're working hard right now to put the finishing touches and sparkle on our festive plans for the city and will be revealing everything in the coming weeks.”

He also stressed the joint efforts being made to ensure the success of the Christmas season: “We are really pulling out all the stops to ensure that Christmas in Santa's favourite city will once again be the most wonderful Christmas in the whole world this year.”

The council has not yet confirmed a new completion date for the ongoing works at Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall. In addition, the council has pledged that measures will be implemented in Piccadilly Gardens this year to ensure the rapid restoration and use of the square once the market has concluded.