Things To Do in Manchester in Winter

November’s here, and as the wind and rain lashes against my desk window, it’s fair to say that Winter has arrived here with it! Personally, I love Autumn and Winter; they’re far more fun to me than Spring and Summer and I love that as soon as November hits, I start to feel festive! But, I do know that some of my mates aren’t quite as keen on the season, which is why I’ve put together a list of suggestions to keep your mind off the cold. Here are my top things to do in Manchester in Winter.

Manchester Christmas Markets

See my Manchester Christmas Markets 2014 blog post for more pics!

Manchester Christmas Markets: one of the biggest attractions in Manchester in recent years, the 2015 markets will start this Saturday (Saturday 14th November) and run until Monday 21st December. I can’t wait! They’ll be bigger and better than ever before, as each year they stretch somewhere new across the city – from King Street to the Corn Exchange to St Ann’s Square and cumulating into the festive hub of Albert’s Square. Definitely visit for gifts, larger than life hot-dogs and my personal fav; Bailey’s Hot Chocolate

Christmas Shopping

Photos taken from my Cheshire Oaks Christmas Shopping Blog Post

I know this idea gives some people the fear, but honestly, as soon as it starts getting colder I start making my list – there’s something so rewarding about looking out for gifts for your loved ones, and Manchester is one of the best places to do it. We have so many quirky indepedant shops in the Northern Quarter, designer stores on New Cathedral Street and King Street, and even Manchester Arndale and the Trafford Centre which people travel from miles away to visit! After a day of Saturday shopping, I love to get home, put the telly on, and have a glass of wine in front of the X Factor (speaking of which – a new Panasonic, Viera TV might be a good one for MY Christmas list!)

Outdoor Ice Skating

Photos from my Beamish Christmas 2015 Blog post

We are lucky enough to have a couple of ice rinks in Manchester, including some seasonal ones popping up over the Christmas period. Previously, a pop up ice rink has taken pride of place in Spinningfields over winter, but this year it’s moving further towards the canal just over the bridge at New Bailey Street. Even if you’re as clumsy as I am, it’s a lovely way to indulge in the colder weather, or simply have a mulled wine whilst watching others skid across the ice (there’s comedy value in that, trust me). This year’s Manchester Ice Rink opens from this Thursday 12th November.

Get Cultural

Pictures from my visit to Manchester Science Festival Launch 2015

Visit Manchester’s museums and art galleries. Not gonna lie, I do this all year round, but as it gets colder and you naturally want to spend less time outdoors, look for free things to do indoors by considering Manchester’s huge cultural scene. There’s tons of free museums and art galleries in our city, and plenty to keep you entertained for many weekends – my favourite museum has to be Museum of Science and Industry in Castlefield, which is on the site of the very first passenger railway. It’s full of Manchester’s industrial history and is a large enough site to keep you amused for years (literally, I’ve lived in Manchester my whole life and still find something new to visit in MOSI every time I go).

Eat and Drink

  Pictures from my review of Bakchich Lebanese Restaurant

Pretty sure eating and drinking is my favourite hobby, and in Winter people seem to indulge in food that little bit more. Hey, it’s fine, everything in moderation and we’ll all be wearing our woollies long enough to cover up a little bit of Christmas chub! Manchester has such a huge food scene and,like our shopping options, there’s so many independent restaurants and bars that you can’t experience anywhere else. The Northern Quarter is a plethora of quirky bars and eateries all in one area, but our indies are spreading out quickly now to Spinningfields and the Corn Exchange. Heard of The Kitchens? It’s a cool little market place of food-fight style delis and over-the-counter restaurants just behind Spinningfields – take a chance this winter to look if you haven’t before, and chow down whilst you warm up!

If you’re stuck for things to do in Manchester in winter, this should hopefully give you a good starting point. There’s tons of things to do in our wonderful hometown and I am always encouraging my friends from afar to visit for a long weekend in the winter so I can take them around the sites too. If none of these items tickle your fancy, feel free to leave me a comment below with your own suggestions or tweet me your ideas, I’d love to hear them!

Disclosure: collaboration with Share It Quick