Vintage Manchester Christmas Market mugs from 2017
Fans of all things vintage and retro can celebrate all their Christmases at once if they hot-foot it down to Manchester Christmas Markets before they close this week to grab a gluhwein or hot chocolate - as it will be served in a vintage mug from Christmases past after all this year's 2022 mugs sold out.
Christmas Market lovers have got through a staggering 140,00 specially produced mugs this year - which could either be 'rented' and returned to stalls after use, or paid-for and taken home with shoppers as a reminder of their visit.
Designed by Manchester City Council's inhouse studio team, this year's exclusive mugs featured joyful Christmassy characters including Santa, Rudolph, and polar bears - all high-fiving each other, celebrating the fun of the festive period.
80,000 of the famous, instagram-worthy, collectable mugs featured this year's date 2022, and a further 60,000 mugs with no date were produced that in theory could be used again in future years if they weren't a sell-out this year.
By last Monday however (12 December) - the day after Manchester's magical first-ever Christmas Parade drew thousands of families into the city centre - every one of this year's 2022 mugs, both those with the date and without, had either been sold or were out in circulation on market stalls.
After that it took only a matter of days for this year's stock to sell-out completely, and by Thursday (15 December) market bosses were bringing out the vintage mugs from Christmases past.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said: "Our Christmas mugs have always been a massive hit with each year's design eagerly anticipated, but this year they seem to have been top of everyone's wish-list and the demand for them has been phenomenal!
"Bad luck of course for anyone who maybe hasn't been to the markets yet and so has missed out on one of them, but with all our vintage mugs now out in the markets until they close, what a great chance to grab a piece of Manchester Christmas past for all the retro-heads and collectors out there!
"The vintage mugs have been proving a massive hit with visitors over the weekend who simply can't get enough of them and have been lapping up the nostalgic designs with their kissing snowmen and mistletoe, and of course our 2018 vintage with their interactive and wearable red nose reindeers!
"Don't miss out - come and grab one!"
Manchester's world-famous Christmas Markets with their 220 stalls, spread across nine sites in the city centre, selling a wide range of gifts as well as food and drink stalls, are open until 5 pm this Thursday, 22 December when their festive trading for 2022 finishes.
The market stalls at Cathedral Gardens alongside the Ice Rink will however remain open in the run-up to Christmas and again after Christmas until New Year's Eve.
The opening times for stalls at Cathedral Gardens from 22 December are as follows:
22 Dec - open 11 am close at 9 pm
23 Dec - open 11 am close at 9 pm
24 Dec - open 10 am close at 5 pm
25 Dec - closed for Christmas Day
26 Dec - 31 Dec - open 10 am close at 6 pm