What's on in Manchester this December
The markets run to 22 December with Albert Square open into January, both clubs play at home four times between them, and Mariah Carey opens the month at Co-op Live. Here is what is worth planning around.
December is the month Manchester is busiest and the month it is most worth visiting. Everything below was checked against official sources on 8 November 2026. Football fixtures move for television, so confirm before you travel.
The Christmas Markets
The markets run Friday 6 November to Tuesday 22 December, across ten sites: Albert Square, Lincoln Square, King Street, St Ann’s Square, the Corn Exchange, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Market Street, Exchange Square and Cathedral Gardens. Open 10am to 9pm daily.
Two things worth knowing.
Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open past the 22nd, until Sunday 3 January 2027. So if you are coming between Christmas and New Year, there is still a market, just a smaller one. The council has not published hours for that extended period, so check nearer the time.
Lincoln Square is new this year. Piccadilly Gardens is not a market site in 2026 despite what several listings sites still say. It has festive lights and nothing else.
Skate Manchester, the ice rink at Cathedral Gardens, runs to 3 January.
The Manchester Christmas Parade is on Sunday 6 December. Route and timings had not been published when we checked.
One practical detail that will save you an argument: Deansgate station closes from 8pm on Fridays and 6pm on Saturdays throughout the markets, because of crowding. Plan your route back.
If you want the honest version of which market sites are worth your time, we wrote a guide. And if you are coming as a group of four, we priced one apartment against two hotel rooms across seven UK cities this month. The apartment won in six of them.
Football
Manchester United, Old Trafford
- Saturday 5 December, 15:00, Coventry City
- Tuesday 8 December, 20:00, RB Leipzig, Champions League
- Sunday 27 December, 16:30, Nottingham Forest
- Wednesday 30 December, 19:30, Sunderland
Note that the Forest game is the 27th, not Boxing Day. Several sites still have it on the 26th. It moved for television.
Manchester City, Etihad
- Wednesday 2 December, 19:30, Leeds United
- Saturday 12 December, 17:30, Chelsea
- Tuesday 15 December, 20:00, Bradford City, Carabao Cup quarter-final
- Saturday 19 December, 15:00, Hull City
City’s next home game after the 19th is not until 3 January, so the week between Christmas and New Year is a United-only affair.
Our away fan guides for Old Trafford and the Etihad cover getting there and where to drink beforehand.
Gigs
Co-op Live: Mariah Carey on the 2nd, Bryson Tiller 3rd, Placebo 4th, Jessie Ware 5th, UB40 6th, Kehlani 10th, Blossoms 11th, Lord of the Rings in Concert 12th, Jamie T 18th, Kasabian 19th.
AO Arena: Bill Bailey 3rd, Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics 4th, Culture Club 10th, The Darkness 11th, Disney On Ice from the 16th to the 20th, a Christmas Musical Spectacular on the 22nd and 23rd, and the Baller League Final Four on the 28th. Manchester Storm are at home on the 6th, 9th and 26th.
The first weekend is the heavy one. Mariah Carey, Bryson Tiller, Placebo, Jessie Ware and UB40 across five nights, with Bill Bailey and Pete Tong at the other arena, plus the Christmas Parade on the Sunday. If you are coming that weekend, book early.
Worth checking the venue listing rather than an aggregator. Several have the Bill Bailey and Pete Tong dates wrong.
Theatre and pantomime
Opera House: Dick Whittington, 5 December to 3 January, with Jason Manford and Ben Nickless. A relaxed performance on 30 December.
Palace Theatre: Billy Elliot the Musical, 2 December to 9 January. No pantomime at the Palace this year.
The Lowry: The Jolly Christmas Postman from 4 December to 3 January, the Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol from 11 December to 10 January, and A Very Messy Christmas from 23 December to 3 January.
Where to stay, and the one constraint to know about
The city centre fills up in December, and minimum stays get longer. Across our apartments, most December dates carry a three-night minimum rather than the usual two, and it runs longer further ahead in the calendar.
That is deliberate rather than an accident, but it does mean a one-night market trip is not something we can usually do. Build a December visit as a three-night stay and you will have a better time anyway: the markets are miserable on a Saturday afternoon and excellent on a Monday evening.
If you want two nights and the calendar says three, send us your dates and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible.
Charlotte House in Chinatown is a few minutes’ walk from Albert Square and the Corn Exchange, which matters when it is raining and you have been carrying a bag of cheese since four o’clock. Browse everything here.
