Families turned out in their tens of thousands today to watch the iconic Manchester Christmas Parade that has fast become a festive favourite with Mancunians and visitors to the city.
With over 400 participants and performers this year, the not-to-be-missed annual parade first took place in 2022 and since then has become a much-loved fixture in the city’s countdown to Christmas calendar, seen by many as THE heart-warming event of the festive season.
Bigger and even better than last year’s fantastic crowd-pleaser of a parade, even a drop of good old Manchester rain didn’t stop play as the fabulous festive parade made its way through the packed city streets to the smiles and cheers of all those watching, delighting young and old alike.
Led by the fabulous Reindeer Ensemble, the parade burst into life with as the spectacular troupe of eight synchronised dancing reindeer with their polished moves and high spirits engaged the crowd and set the pace for a fun-filled parade through the city streets.
Brand-new for this year was the fantastic Festive Fantasy Candyland Castle – the stuff of fairy tales and sugarplum dreams. Standing over 4 metres tall and surrounded by giant candy cane stilt walkers and dancers, the whimsical fairy-tale turreted castle slowly rotated as it moved through the streets, delighting all the youngsters in the crowd.
Hot on the heels of the Candyland Castle was the giant mythical dragon, who swooped its way through the parade on the lookout for young princes and princesses to say hello to.
With a gigantic Polar Bear, a stunning Arctic Fox, a pair of gentle giant-sized reindeer escorted by elves, and the biggest Christmas Tree Fairy you’ve ever seen, as well as Jack Frost and his troupe of frosty dancers, dancing sprouts, a naughty roaming Christmas treet, sparking glitter belles and two grumpy Grandads on wheels keeping everyone in check – there really was something for everyone!
The parade also saw ten different community groups from across the city taking part – either as dancers, performers or musicians – following a callout that went to community groups earlier in the year.
Backed from start to finish with a seasonal soundtrack that had everyone dancing, the parade also featured live music from the likes of the Bloco Band who blasted out the Christmas classics, the Fianna Phadraig Pipe Band playing tunes with a Christmassy twist, and Fat Cat Brass with their four horn players and two stilt-walking drummers, as well as piano man Elton Wrong and his portable stadium stage, crooning his way through a top ten of pop hits and show tunes.
Bringing up the rear of the parade this year was Father Christmas himself, hitching a ride to the North Pole aboard Manchester’s very own Elf Express – and surprising everyone with an impromptu stop at St Ann’s Square after the parade ended to meet and greet families and children and to collect all their Christmas wishes.
The day also saw Santa hats, festive flags, and vouchers for free hot chocolate winter-warmer drinks from Manchester’s legendary Christmas Markets, handed out by Santa’s helpers during the parade to anyone watching who was wearing a Santa hat, tinsel or some other festive themed bling, with 1500 vouchers up for grabs.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “I remember thinking at the end of our fabulous Manchester Christmas Parade last year that we would never be able to top it – it was so good. But this year’s parade has been off-the-scale brilliant – it was fantastic and so much fun and you could see how much all the children loved it!
“The city centre was heaving – it felt like millions of Mancs had turned out for the parade – and what a performance we put on for them!
“From Santa hats and vouchers for free hot drinks, to our best Christmas Parade yet, and a bonus meet and greet with the big red man himself – all free for families – Manchester has once again helped make the magic and the memories for a whole generation of families from across the city and beyond.
“It’s no surprise we’re Santa’s favourite city. Nowhere on the planet does Christmas like Manchester – we definitely do it best!”
The city council worked with a range of partners including outdoor arts organisations Handmade Parade, Global Grooves, Walk the Plank, and Fools Paradise to help make this year’s Manchester Christmas the best yet.
This year’s parade was made possible with the support of main sponsor Quooker, and other supporters including Ocean Outdoor.
Stephen Johnson, Managing Director, Quooker UK & Ireland, said: “Manchester is our home. The Manchester Christmas Parade is one of those rare moments in the year where the whole community comes together – families, friends, visitors, all celebrating the joy and spirit of the city. We’re incredibly proud to support that.
“At Quooker, we believe in doing things properly and giving back to the place that has given us so much. It’s a privilege to help make this year’s parade even more special.”
The festive fun in Manchester continues in the run-up to Christmas with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas markets open until 22 December, with over 270 stalls across ten sites in the city centre selling food, drink, crafts and seasonal gifts.
Find out more information about Christmas in Manchester
