Albert Square

Home to Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square is a public area in Manchester city centre. Event-wise, the square hosts the popular Christmas markets every year — an event which sees bustling crowds flock to the square across November and December to find unique gifts created by independent traders from all over Europe. The event is so loved it’s often hard to navigate the crowds, but it’s worth a visit if you’re looking for delicious food or unusual items, and it’s not hard to miss the giant Father Christmas sitting above the Town Hall entrance every year. The town hall itself is less used for its traditional purposes nowadays, and can now be hired for conferences and events, as well as weddings, while tours of the clock tower can also be booked. Surrounding the square is a number of bars and restaurants including Tampopo, The Slug & Lettuce and The Albert Square Chop House, so there's plenty of choice for a place to eat. [Charlotte Davies]