It was somewhat inevitable that surging inflation would hit this year's Manchester Christmas Markets prices - and visitors can expect some big increases year-on-year for their hot sausages and gluhwein at the festive event. Prices have risen by up to £1.50 on food items with some sausages priced at £7, while drinks are up between 50p and £1 on last year with gluhwein starting at £5 and lager at £6 a pint on many stalls.
The MEN compiled a full list of food and drinks prices published as the markets opened on Thursday, as we do every year, to help visitors plan how much money they need to budget for. And this year's list has shown some big increases at many of the most popular stalls year-on-year.
Hot German sausages are up from £5 last year to £6.50 this year - with onions coming in at 50p extra - while currywurst is now £7 up from £6 at The Witch House on New Cathedral Street and the German XL sausage swing grill on Exchange Square. We have asked the owner of the stalls for comment.
Read more : Guide to Manchester Christmas Markets opening and closing times and key locations
There are also big increases at the popular Pig and Barrell and Clowbecks Farmhouse Kitchen on Piccadilly Gardens - with hot roast pork rolls priced at £8 this year - up from £6.50 last year - and Lancashire cheese potatoes priced at £6.50 up from £5.50 last year and cumberland sausage up by £1 to £6.50. Drinks are also on the rise here, with gluhwein up 50p to £5 and pints of lager up 50p to £6.
The manager of the Pig and Barrell and Clowbecks has defended the price increases, saying it's the first time they have increased prices at the Manchester Christmas Markets since 2019. She said it was inevitable that the inflationary price increases across the board for fuel, food and services this year was always going to have an impact for stallholders across the markets.
Una Le Roux said: "All prices have gone up everywhere - whether it be fuel prices, staffing prices, food prices, everything has gone up. We've not really put prices up since before the pandemic in 2019.
"No one even looks at the prices really, and I've only had one complaint so far. The city is really busy, everywere we try to book for dinner is full, there are no reservations, so people at the moment they seem to want to be out and spending money.
"Maybe in January people will think again, but for now people want to go out and enjoy their Christmas."
Panc vegan stall was a big hit at Piccadilly Gardens last year and has returned for 2022, albeit with big price increases. The popular Panc Bratwurst was priced at £5 last year and is now £7. Owner Hannah Jobe said: "Vegan food in general is quite expensive, and in the past year literally all our suppliers have gone up in price.
"But when you go to any type of market, it might not be the cheapest, but it’s hand-crafted - we cook everything from fresh and there’s so many things in the background people might not think about that has to go into setting prices."
At The Mill bar on Exchange Square drinks range from £7.50 for large mulled wine and for liquer coffees, while Christmas cocktails including a Manchester Tart flavour for £9.
At Mamma Mia! Pizzeria on Exchange Street, owner Siro Zanolla says he has worked as hard as he can to keep price increases low, with pizzas 50p higher than last year- from £5.50 to £6 - but he says he's kept gluhwein prices stable.
He said: "Everything has gone up for us, our suppliers are now 30 per cent higher - but things like mozzarella is now 70 per cent higher so it's tough. We are hoping people will still want to come out and support us because we love to come here.
"This is our 10th year and we've already had lots of our regulars coming back to say hello today and it's great to see."
Manchester Council's Christmas spokesman Councillor Pat Karney also defended the price increases for European stallholders heading back to the markets this year who have the extra costs of travel. It's estimated that 40 per cent of the 220 stalls over nine sites at this year's event are from overseas, with the remaining 60 per cent north west and UK traders.
He said: "Prices have gone up everywhere as you know, any shop you go in prices have gone up. Over 40 per cent of the people here are from Europe so there's all different costs associated with that.
"But the emphasis is you can come down and just sit and have a good time for free, you don't have to buy anything, you can come down and just enjoy the environment."
One of the most popular stalls at the Christmas Markets, Manchester's own Porky Pig Carvery, has seen price increases on its famous Yorkshire pudding wraps, up 50p on last year. Owner Eddie Osman said it was inevitable given the huge increases in fuel costs.
He pointed to his gas supply for the huge stall on Exchange Square increasing from £18 a bottle to £32 a bottle - and they use around 5 a day. He said: "We've kept our drinks prices the same and tried to keep increases as low as we possibly can with 50p on the famous wrap."
Local favourites have also increased prices year-on-year, including the bagels at Triple B increasing from between 50p to £1, with prices starting at £8, while at Wrap Up Burritos prices are up 50p on most items, while their chicken and halloumi burrito has surged to £10.50 up from £9 last year.
The price rises across the markets did not seem to put off the thousands of people who flocked to the opening day on Thursday, which was hailed as "the best ever start" to the festive event by Cllr Karney.
The city's streets were heaving with shoppers keen to get their first taste of the festive extravaganza which will now run through to December 22 across Piccadilly Gardens, Market Street, Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, St Ann's Square, King Street and Cathedral Gardens.
Market stalls will now open daily from 10am to 8pm, while food and drink stalls open from 11am to 9pm across the city centre.
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