'It's been s****': On Manchester Christmas Markets' last weekend, stallholders are calling it the 'worst one ever'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Christmas is still five days away, but for some in Manchester city centre things are already drawing to a close. Since opening in 1998, Manchester Christmas markets have grown into a six-week spectacular, and the cornerstone of the Greater Manchester's festive calendar.

And 2024 was a bigger year than usual, with seven weekends of festive fun rather than the usual six. But on a Friday afternoon (December 20) with less than a week to go until the big day, town is busy but manageable.

It is a far cry, stallholders say, from the heaving crowds experienced in previous years. Bad weather, train strikes and the soaring coast of living have punters less keen to part with their Christmas kitty, they told the M.E..N.

The 2024 iteration markets pull down their shutters for the final time on Sunday (December 22),. and some business owners have been frank in their assessment of the season. "It's been sh**," said Zoe, from the popular Witch House which moved to New Cathedral Street this season. "I’d say this has been the worst one. “We usually have a lot of staff around this time, it’s usually go, go, go.