Winter Makers Market at People’s History Museum
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Winter Makers Market
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
More indie makers than ever are setting up shop in People’s History Museum this November, selling gifts that nobody else will be unwrapping: one-off ceramics, jewellery and handmade prints. Add workshops, cocktails and live music, and battling the crowds in the Arndale starts to seem like some sort of insane Christmas penance.
The Winter Makers Market kicks off on Friday 20 November (5pm-8pm) with PHM’s after-hours preview evening. Get an early look at the stalls before the market opens to the public, and watch stallholder Recycled Wax demonstrate candle making. You’re invited to bring along your pre-loved candles for recycling, and everybody goes home with a free Christmas tree candle.
Soundtracking the event is contemporary jazz five-piece Quinta, while Gather café lays on festive treats including Christmas dinner sandwiches (because this is Manchester and everything is better between bread). The galleries will remain open during the event, so if you’ve ever wanted to explore a museum after dark, here’s your chance. Tickets are £10, and your first mulled wine’s on the house.
On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November (11am-4.30pm), the market’s open to all, with free entry (though most visitors donate £10). There are over 30 stalls, and very little you’d find on the high street. The Stone Artisan turns reclaimed Victorian Manchester stone into coasters, Hoard Jewellery casts found objects in precious metals, and Distort Design collages travel photos and old maps onto velvet cushions.
Abi Prints covers everything from minimal risographs to neon screenprints, while Different Day Studio brings retro, psychedelic cards and temporary tattoos. Elsewhere, there are Jesmonite vases, trays and extra-curricular creations from Inside Seventy Two, kitchen textiles from Maison Elhoria, and an articulated 3D-printed dragon (every Christmas needs one) from JS3DPrintLab.
Want to get stuck into some making yourself? Printmaker Halina Isherwood is running lino printing workshops on both days (1pm-2.30pm, £20), where you’ll be guided through printing your own Christmas cards and gift tags, with wonky lines encouraged. Or if you’re in the mood for a festive tipple, on Saturday, drinks expert Simon Sharp is hosting Spirited Women, a historical cocktail tasting that toasts the female pioneers who drank, distilled and defied (12pm-2pm or 2.30pm-4.30pm, £20).
And festive tunes are, of course, mandatory. Following the jazz band on the Friday, The Hallé Choir takes the Saturday slot – 168 years old, Proms regulars, and not a choir you usually get to hear for free. On Sunday, Magic Voices Choir takes over with a lighter set built out of popular tunes from musical theatre.
The Winter Makers Market turns Christmas shopping, usually a slog, into something genuinely enjoyable. Ask about a piece and you’ll get the story from the person who made it. Buy it, and your money goes straight to them. Our advice? Head down early, because the really one-off pieces don’t hang around.
