CITYLIFE WHAT’S NEW AT CHRISTMAS MARKETS
WITH the Manchester Christmas Markets kicking off in less than a week’s time (no, we can’t believe it’s crept around this quickly either), the festive season is very much on the way.
There’s a lot of change afoot for this year’s event too, from new sites to new Santas to new food stalls.
The city’s glowing mascot, affectionately known as Zippy, has officially retired and will be replaced by a new, younger model.
Meanwhile, the ongoing renovations of the Town Hall and building works on Brazennose Street have forced a number of market stalls to move to a new location, but have welcomed in some new local traders at the same time.
Elsewhere, last year’s hugely popular ice village at Cathedral Gardens will be bigger and better than ever, with a new theme.
Here are all the new things you can look forward to at this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets.
Although the markets were originally supposed to be moving away from their usual home at Albert Square due to town hall renovations, they’ll have one final hurrah before being moved on - though at a reduced size.
To make up for that, and for the lack of stalls on Brazennose Street, the markets will spread to Piccadilly Gardens for the first time, where shoppers will find a host of new food and craft stalls as well as a bar.
Among the traders at the brand new site will be Eat Greek with authentic Greek grills - last year including gyros kebabs and halloumi fries and the Hot Stuff Bread Company, serving fresh pretzel dough stuffed with gourmet fillings.
A temporary police hut will be erected in the gardens for added security, with councillor Pat Karney saying that the area would be the ‘number one choice’ to be the main hub of the markets from next year.
Ah yes, the traditional festive... fried chicken.
Yard & Coop will be pitching up at the Christmas Markets for the first time this year, serving up all sorts of buttermilk fried goodness.
Chicken - or a vegan pulled ‘chicken’ alternative - will be topped with macaroni cheese and your choice of sauce, all served in a savoury waffle cone.
There will also be chicken tenders with chips and a selection of toppings, including the Dirty Bird (Dr Pepper BBQ sauce, blue cheese sauce, and hot sauce). Yard & Coop will be at
Albert Square this year, but if you can’t face the inevitable drizzle they’ve got a restaurant - with heating and ceilings - on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter.