Manchester Christmas Markets - Take One

With the temperature last week reaching minus 68 degrees celsius (I may be exaggerating – only slightly), it seemed like as good a time as any to go down and check out the festive fun of the Christmas Markets for myself. I hadn’t quite realised the extent of this year’s shed invasion, despite having written about it on here before. You can actually walk all the way from Exchange Square to the town hall without ever losing sight of a temporary wooden shed or hand-made wooden toy! They’re literally lining the streets:

There’s the odd Gluhwein shack thrown in along the way as well, doing a roaring trade in the alcoholic hotness that we seem to do perfectly well without for the rest of the year but pounce upon like heroin addicts on clean needles when it arrives, gorging ourselves on the hot, sweet loveliness as if it were more essential to our survival than oxygen. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so there’s the odd booze stall amongst the unnecessary...I mean seasonal...gifts. Like these little fellas:


Then you get to the main event – Albert Square:

That’s a big Santa. The whole Albert Square experience is perhaps as you would imagine it – some local producers selling local produce - like cheese:


And some German producers selling German produce. Like sausages:

There’s a macaroon man:

And a guy burning stuff:


That's actually rum he's pouring into the already-alcoholic-enough cauldron of Gluhwein. There were five empty bottles on the floor next to it as well. No wonder I couldn't talk by the end of the night.

All in all it’s pretty good fun, except on Saturdays. Saturdays are far too busy. The only respite from the shuffling, crowded hell of Saturday at the Christmas Market is the singing moose. Reindeer – whatever he is:


Him, and the Gluhwein stalls of course.