Manchester’s popular Giant Santa has returned to Albert Square for the festive season, standing outside the Grade I listed Victorian Town Hall with a brand-new feature for Christmas visitors.
Gone is the enormous over-sized Christmas present tied up with ribbon that thousands of Mancunians will remember Santa sitting on top of, and in its place this year is a huge walk-through green Christmas Cracker with golden bows at each end, festooned with fairy lights inside as visitors are invited to walk through the magical tunnel from one end of the cracker to the other, underneath Santa, serenaded as they go by a musical playlist of Christmas classics.
Sure to be yet another selfie sensation amongst visitors to Manchester's world-famous Christmas Markets, expect a track-list with something for everyone from Dean Martin and the Darkness to Mariah Carey and more.
Manchester's Giant Santa arrived in pieces on Albert Square last Friday (23 October) where he was carefully put together and placed into position ready for his starring role in Manchester's countdown to Christmas celebrations.
His slightly earlier than usual arrival in the city this year is down to the logistics of setting up Albert Square ready for Christmas with its iconic wooden market stall chalets and other attractions including the enormous festive Ferris Wheel which at 50m high has also now been installed ready for the Christmas Markets' opening on Friday 6 November.
Featuring more than 20,000 twinkling LED lights and standing on top of the new-for-this-year and just as twinkly Christmas Cracker, Santa and his Christmas Cracker will be officially lit up and serenading the city from Friday 6 November, the opening day of Manchester's legendary Christmas Markets.
Passers-by will see him lit up 24 hours a day, all day every day from then until Sunday 3 January, to help make Christmas memories and bring a smile to the faces of everyone visiting the city over the festive season.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Leader of Manchester City Council said: "There's nowhere that does Christmas quite like Manchester. We've been Santa's favourite city now for two and a half decades since our legendary Christmas Markets first began in 1998.
"Whilst there's an obvious touch of sadness this year as we're missing our biggest Christmas cheerleader Councillor Pat Karney, the best way we can celebrate him is to make sure Manchester has the best Christmas ever.
"So it's great to see our much-loved giant Santa has arrived back in town ready for the festive season and once more back on Albert Square in front of our magnificent Town Hall.
"Our giant Santa is always a massive hit with everyone at Christmas and this year we're going one better as Santa brings with him, in a first for Manchester, his magical walk-through Christmas Cracker to add to the festive fun on the Square.
"With just over a week to go until our fabulous Christmas Markets open, we're going all out to make sure the city is at its sparkly best and will be pulling out all the stops over the next couple of months to make Christmas in Manchester this year the most fantastic and magical yet."
For more information about Christmas in Manchester visit manchester.gov.uk/christmas
