The 2024 Christmas Markets got off to a roaring start today, with their first Saturday of the year seeing thousands of people packing the streets of Manchester City Centre . Bratwurst, mulled wine, hot chocolate, crepes – all the usual favourites were in plentiful supply across the some 240 stalls, scattered across the nine different sites. But beside the usual suspects there was a raft of international cuisine with Austrian, Spanish, Indian, French, Brazilian, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Dutch specialities leaving the markets’ punters spoilt for choice.
READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 price list for food and drink at every location READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets' best food, and exactly where to find it in 2024 And there were some new twists on old classics on offer as well: a formidable-looking shepherd’s pie loaded Yorkshire pudding, literal shots of melted chocolate inside solid chocolate cups, and a footlong pig-in-blanket at Porky Pig. On an already busy weekend, which sees Manchester play host to the MTV EMAs, a clash at home for Manchester United, and a host of Remembrance Sunday events, the famously unreliable Manchester weather was on decent form today, with the day starting off grey, dry and cold, giving shoppers the perfect excuse to don their best coats and scarves. (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News) While attracting a strong turnout on the first official day yesterday (November 8), today was expected to be even busier as .