Bosses confirm Albert Square WILL host Christmas events this year

Manchester Council has shared a major update on the progress of works on Manchester’s Town Hall and surrounding Albert Square.

The update confirms that most of the transformed and enlarged square’ will be made available to support 2025’s Christmas programme’ – the first time it has done so since 2019.

While works to the square will not be completely finished, they will be resequenced and accelerated to ensure it is ready to use in some capacity this winter.

Sharing the news, bosses say that contractors are now 80% of the way through the project’s ‘construction’ phase. While negotiations with contractors around financial claims and other issues are ongoing, a programme to completion has been developed which would see works conclude in August 2026.

The festive attraction, more details of which will be announced later in the year, will kick-start a period of engagement with Manchester residents designed to share and celebrate the reopening of the new and improved town hall and square. This will run up to and including September 2027, which will mark the 150^th anniversary of the building’s original opening.

Deputy Council Leader Councillor Garry Bridges said: “We know Mancunians and visitors alike are looking forward to having their town hall and their civic square back and better than ever and it’s great that we can now look ahead to that.

“We are developing a civic square to rival the best in Europe and it will be exciting to see it pilot Christmas events this year ahead of a full permanent opening next year.

“We look forward over the course of this year to announcing more details about Christmas in Albert Square and how people in Manchester can help us celebrate the reopening of their magnificent town hall.”

“We’ve overcome so many challenges to get to this point and while the unique nature of the project is such that some inevitably still remain, we believe the end result will be something special.”