Following a period of review around all major events in the city, the Council can now confirm the events that will – and will not – be happening this year due to Covid-19.
Through the last six months, the Council has been supporting event organisers to postpone or cancel public events, moving content online where appropriate inline with social distancing.
Events represent a major element of the city’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs across a range of industries – from event management to hospitality – and they attract millions of visitors to the city each year.
The following events will not go ahead this year:
- Bonfire and Community Firework Displays around 5 November
- Christmas Lights Switch-on event
- New Year’s Eve fireworks display
However, there will be Christmas Lights in the city centre as usual, and of course the Giant Santa will return – along with a trail of light sculptures through the city.
The Skate Manchester ice rink in Cathedral Gardens – which can limit entry numbers to ensure social distancing – will go ahead and tickets can be booked at www.skatemanchester.com
And tickets for Lightopia in Heaton Park – an award-winning lantern and light festival – are already on sale at www.lightopiafestival.com
Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets remain under review to ensure that the event can adhere to Covid-19 regulations and keep visitors as safe as possible.
Further detail will be released in the coming weeks.
To note: all events are subject to covid regulations and restrictions, and could be affected if local Covid-19 guidelines change.
Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “Christmas in Manchester is an incredibly important time for the city’s economy. The city attracts millions of visitors each year, which local businesses rely on – and it’s important to the city’s recovery that we can bring people back into the city safely. Covid means that Christmas will be different this year, but we are working hard towards celebrating the festive season as safely as possible. So watch this space.”
Cllr Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: “We understand that cancelling annual events will come as a blow to many people. We do not take these decisions lightly and we have been working with events organisers throughout the year to either postpone or take online where possible. Public safety must be at the front and centre of everything we do – and where events can go ahead, they will do so inline with covid guidelines designed to keep visitors as safe.”
