Manchester Christmas Markets are back across the city, spreading some festive cheer and plenty of tempting items to eat and drink. But there have been price rises across the food and drink stalls again this year amid rising inflation in the UK.
You can expect to pay, on average, about 50p more for everything this year on food and drink stalls – from your mugs of gluhwein to your sausage in a bun. There’s also an extra 50p to factor in on the Manchester Christmas Markets mug deposit scheme which is priced at £3.50 this year.
The deposit is fully refunded after you’ve had your drink – unless you want to keep the mug as a souvenir to take home.
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As part of our annual coverage of the event, the MEN has published a full price list of what you can expect to pay for food and drink across the nine different zones of the Christmas Markets this year. You can read the full price list here.
It has also helped to pinpoint where the cheapest drinks and popular food items can be found across the markets this year. It’s also worth noting that as it’s a market with individual traders, prices can fluctuate, so these are correct as of the opening weekend.
Here’s what you can expect to pay, on average, for some of the most popular generic items across the markets. And where we’ve found the cheapest.
Cheapest pints
The average price of a pint of lager across the Christmas Markets in Manchester this year is £6, with the most expensive we saw priced at £6.50. But if you head to the right location, you can get it for a lot less than that.
Piccadilly Gardens is the main “hub” of the Christmas Markets this year, transformed into “Winter Gardens” and here you’ll find the biggest selection of food, drink and larger bars. There’s also a lot more seating options here as well if you’re aiming for a catch up with friends over a few drinks.
Head to the Dock 53 bar on Winter Gardens and you’ll also find the cheapest pints. Here, you’ll find draught lagers from £5.40 a pint.
In the neighbouring food and drink section on Piccadilly Gardens (the raised wooden areas) you will also find the Manchester Winter Ale House, where prices for pints of ale are from £5 for the cheapest, and £5.50 for Manchester Pale Ale.
Cheapest sausages
As you may have heard, this year we’ve hit a record sausage high on prices at the Christmas Markets. While in past years they’ve hovvered around the £6, this year we’ve seen the dawn of the £8 sausage.
That’s the price you’ll pay for many of the German bratwurst and currywurst on the markets now at popular stalls. But if you’re after a more budget banger than that, then you just need to know where you’re going.
Bartwurst on Exchange Square will set you back £8, while at the Witch House on New Cathedral Street sausages are priced from £7.50 to £8. But if you venture further down St Ann’s Square to the big Der Grill bar near St Ann’s Church, here you can pick up a bratwurst for just £6.
If you need a heftier alternative, the massive 20 inch sausages are at the Bratwurst hut on St Ann’s Square for £7. These half a metre bangers are so massive you could easily share it between two people.
Cheapest mulled wine
You can find mulled wine or gluhwein on many of the food and drink stalls this year. And you are looking at paying between £5.50 to £6 for a cup of the hot spiced vino, which is served in the quirky smaller Christmas mugs (pictured above).
We couldn’t find any cheaper than £5.50 this year. For a £5.50 mulled wine head to Piccadilly Gardens again – where you’ll find it at this price on the Clowbecks and Hot Pork Rolls stalls.
There’s also the Tipsy Wheels van here where mulled wine is priced at £5.50.
