Events in Manchester
This November, Manchester settles into its Christmas season, and the listing runs on into mid December. The Christmas Markets fill the city centre, with Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens open until 3 January, and Northern Lights Manchester lights up Heaton Park from 19 November. Concerts range from a Candlelight evening of Hans Zimmer at Manchester Cathedral on 20 November and Deep Purple at the AO Arena on 22 November to UB40 featuring Ali Campbell at Co-op Live on 6 December. The Muppet Christmas Carol plays the Bridgewater Hall with a live orchestra on 7 December, and an immersive David Bowie show opens at Aviva Studios on 8 December.
Official events calendar for Manchester
The events below come from Manchester's official events calendar for the coming weeks, from the Christmas Markets to a winter light trail, and each card links to more details on dates and venues. For the sights that stay open all year, see what to do in Manchester.
Christmas Markets
When: 6 November to 22 December; Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens until 3 January 2027
Where: Ten city centre sites, including Albert Square, St Ann's Square and Cathedral Gardens
Handcrafted gifts, festive food and winter drinks, with a big wheel and a helter-skelter in Albert Square.
Game4Ricky
When: 15 November
Where: The Joie Stadium, City Football Academy
A celebrity football match in tribute to the boxer Ricky Hatton, with Team Hitman against Team Hatton and funds raised for mental health and suicide prevention.
Northern Lights Manchester
When: 19 November to 31 December
Where: Heaton Park
A mile-long Christmas light trail with a new theme, A Christmas Time Machine, and a Christmas Village of festive food, drink and fairground rides.
Festivals and concerts in Manchester
Chasing Abbey
Chasing Abbey plays The Deaf Institute on 10 November at 19:00.
Miss Americana, A Tribute to Taylor Swift
Miss Americana, A Tribute to Taylor Swift plays Bridgewater Hall on 15 November at 18:00.
Paris Paloma
Paris Paloma plays O2 Apollo Manchester on 15 November at 19:00.
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer plays Manchester Cathedral on 20 November at 20:30.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple plays AO Arena on 22 November at 17:30.
Eloise
Eloise plays Manchester Club Academy on 22 November at 19:00.
Swae Lee
Swae Lee plays Manchester Academy on 29 November at 19:00.
The Jazz Room: Marvin Gaye in a Night of Soul
The Jazz Room: Marvin Gaye in a Night of Soul plays Band on the Wall on 6 December at 16:00.
UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, The Big Love Tour
UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, The Big Love Tour plays Co-op Live on 6 December at 18:00.
Vivaldi Four Seasons at Christmas by Candlelight
Vivaldi Four Seasons at Christmas by Candlelight plays St Ann's Church on 12 December at 19:30.
The Highstool Prophets
The Highstool Prophets plays O2 Ritz Manchester on 13 December at 19:00.
Sevendust
Sevendust plays Manchester Academy 2 on 14 December at 19:30.
Events and shows in Manchester
Red Richardson
Red Richardson plays Manchester New Century Hall on 9 November at 19:00.
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty comes to the Royal Northern College of Music on 15 November at 16:00.
Grace Campbell, The Lady Is a Tramp
Grace Campbell, The Lady Is a Tramp plays Manchester New Century Hall on 15 November at 19:00.
Jamie Hutchinson, Can My Mate Come? He's Sound
Jamie Hutchinson, Can My Mate Come? He's Sound plays O2 Apollo Manchester on 17 November at 18:30.
Josh Pugh, Ha Ha, Yeah Sound
Josh Pugh, Ha Ha, Yeah Sound plays Opera House, Manchester on 22 November at 19:30.
Magic at The Midland
Magic at The Midland plays The Midland on 22 November at 19:30.
The Jury Experience: The Killer AI
The Jury Experience: The Killer AI comes to The Stoller Hall on 29 November at 16:00.
The Big Christmas Sing-Along with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong
The Big Christmas Sing-Along with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong plays Manchester Monastery on 29 November at 18:00.
Manchester Storm vs Nottingham Panthers
Manchester Storm vs Nottingham Panthers comes to AO Arena on 6 December at 14:30.
The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Film with Live Orchestra
The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Film with Live Orchestra plays Bridgewater Hall on 7 December at 19:00.
Manchester Comedy Club
Manchester Comedy Club plays Area Manchester on 12 December at 18:30.
Disney On Ice presents Discover the Magic
Disney On Ice presents Discover the Magic comes to AO Arena on 16 December at 18:30.
Art exhibitions and museum shows in Manchester
Beneath the Great Wave, Hokusai and Hiroshige
Until: 15 November 2026
Where: The Whitworth
The Whitworth's first exhibition of Japanese prints in over 100 years, built around Hokusai's Great Wave and the ukiyo-e of Hiroshige.
Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail
Until: 3 January 2027
Where: Arley Hall & Gardens, near Northwich in Cheshire
An evening trail of lights, music and 3D sculptures from the 1993 film, set in the gardens of Arley Hall in Cheshire, outside the city.
Hyundai Translocal Series, Entangled and Woven
Until: 3 January 2027
Where: The Whitworth
New work by eight artists and collectives from Korea and India meets historic textiles from the Whitworth's collection.
Re/Assemble
Until: 3 January 2027
Where: People's History Museum
Commissioned artworks and protest banners revisit the 1988 Manchester march against Section 28, the largest LGBTQIA+ demonstration in British history. Free entry.
David Bowie, You're Not Alone
Dates: 8 December 2026 to 10 January 2027
Where: North Warehouse, Aviva Studios
A 360-degree immersive show of performance footage, photographs, lyrics and sketches that follows David Bowie's life and work.
National and local holidays in Manchester
Public holidays shift the rhythm of a visit more than many travellers expect. Banks and council offices close, several museums and attractions move to a holiday timetable, and Metrolink trams and buses often run a Sunday or reduced service, so a day built around one plan can fall flat. England and Wales share a single bank holiday calendar, and it sets 8 dates for 2026. Two of them fall together at the end of December, when transport timetables and attraction hours change the most.
National holidays in England and Wales 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day
- 3 April Good Friday
- 6 April Easter Monday
- 4 May Early May bank holiday
- 25 May Spring bank holiday
- 31 August Summer bank holiday
- 25 December Christmas Day
- 28 December Boxing Day (substitute day, as 26 December falls on a Saturday)
Local holidays in Manchester 2026
Manchester adds no local holidays to that calendar. The England and Wales list above is the only public holiday calendar that applies in the city, because the government publishes bank holidays by nation and sets none specifically for Manchester or Greater Manchester. The extra dates kept elsewhere in the United Kingdom, among them 2 January and Saint Andrew's Day in Scotland and Saint Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne in Northern Ireland, are not holidays in Manchester.
No bank holiday falls in the weeks this page covers. The next ones are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December, followed by New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027, when many museums, shops and transport services across the city change their times.
Before you go to Manchester
What to see in Manchester
The Manchester guide ranks eleven sights, from Old Trafford to the John Rylands Library and Manchester Art Gallery, then adds free things to do and more places to explore.
Manchester tourist information
Where to find tourist information in Manchester, the nearest tourist office and the bank holidays that change opening times across the city.
Beyond Manchester
The guide to the United Kingdom looks past Manchester to the Tower of London, Stonehenge, the Lake District and York Minster, with the sights worth building a longer trip around.