There may not be a big Christmas Lights switch on event taking place in Manchester this year, but the good news is the festive lights displays themselves WILL return this November. A series of Christmas lights displays are being put up across the city centre to bring some sparkle to the shopping streets.
Also returning to give us all a festive boost will be the big light-up Santa figure who will sit atop a big glittering present to peer out across Manchester. And there will be the return of some special light sculputres across the city too to get a festive selfie or two on your trip into town.
Manchester Council confirmed last month that there would NOT be a return for the Christmas Lights Switch On event that had been customary in the city before the Covid-19 pandemic. They blamed a lack of a "suitable or safe" location to host the annual event that would traditionally be attended by thousands.
Read more : Manchester Christmas Markets map and guide to all the locations for 2022
Instead it plans to switch on the festive lights in the city to tie in with the big return of the Manchester Christmas Markets. This will be from Thursday, November 10 and the markets run up to and including December 22.
However Big Santa will not take his place on St Peter's Square until after the Remembrance Sunday events have been held on Sunday November 13.
Work will begin to get him ready for being lit up on Monday November 14, but may not be complete until Tuesday November 15 if you are planning to visit.
He will then form part of the light sculptures across St Peter's Square that proved popular during the 2021 festive run-in. Santa takes a prominent position outside Manchester Central Library which makes for suitably festive photos for visitors to the city.
Where can I find all the Christmas lights?
There will be lights adorning most of the main shopping streets around Manchester city centre for 2022 - and these will all go live from Thursday, November 10. The main areas to look out for are along Deansgate, Market Street, Exchange Square, St Ann's Square and King Street.
The main "hub" of the Manchester Christmas Markets for 2022 will be at Winter Gardens at Piccadilly Gardens. This is where you'll find a light arch, bauble, MCR sign and the start of the "light trail".
Further light installations will be found on St Peter's Square along with Big Santa. These will all go live from Monday November 13.
Read next:
- Christmas family-friendly events you can start booking now
- Festive karaoke huts will return to Manchester for 2022 at Bar Hutte
- Light trails taking place across Greater Manchester for Christmas 2022
- Eight of the best beauty advent calendars available for 2022
- Manchester's first new city centre park in a century has opened
