Christmas Heroes Will Keep Manchester Open For Business This Festive Season

World class and famous, Manchester’s Christmas Markets return this week and a large array of staff and volunteers representing a range of organisations will be on-hand to help visitors find what they are looking for.

Manchester City Council, in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester, Marketing Manchester and CityCo, will have a team made up of volunteers that will help visitors find their way. The Heart of Manchester Business Improvement District’s team of City Hosts and customer service staff are stationed across the city – from Metrolink stops through to the high street and the Christmas Markets.

Currently undergoing a major transformation, the city centre is having improvements put through, to better access and journey times across the city in the long-term – including the Second City Crossing and the Bus Priority Package – but in the short-term visitors are urged to plans their journey in advance and allow more time to travel around the city. 

It is in place over the next three years that Manchester will be redesigned into a world class, 21^st century city that is sustainable, thriving and exciting place for everyone who lives, works, studies or visits here.

Whilst all the work is taking place everything is open as usual - as well as all the Christmas festivities including the famous Manchester Christmas Markets, the shops, theatres, cafes, galleries and all the other attractions the city has to offer.

For the meantime, an embargo on non-emergency roadworks has been put in place across the city centre to help congestion over the busy Christmas period. Metrolink’s Second City Crossing works on Cross Street will remain in place to meet the build programme.

The first phase of the Second City Crossing will be complete in December, which will allow passengers to travel through Victoria to Exchange Square for the first time.

A map of the Christmas Markets is also available that gives visitors the best walking route through the attraction.