We have been celebrating Christmas at Manchester Cathedral for almost 600 years and the traditions continue throughout this festive period. During December, Manchester Cathedral will welcome thousands of visitors from around the world as we host carol concerts and Christmas services for Manchester’s favourite charities including Henshaws, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and The Christie.
On Saturday 17 December, join Manchester Cathedral Voluntary Choir for Family Carols, a concert of Christmas Carols with a mix of old and new music. The choir will perform traditional works, such as ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and ‘Ding Dong! Merrily on High’. They will also sing 'Sleep, my Jesu', by Jamie Hall, composed to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Research.
In addition to the carol concerts, our regular Cathedral Christmas services are open to everyone. You probably have heard about or seen the famous Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge on the TV each Christmas eve. Our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Thursday 22 December is the Manchester version and is open to all! Come along on Christmas Eve for Blessing of the Crib and Children’s Nativity at 12 noon, join us for Midnight Mass at 11.30pm or celebrate Christmas Day with the service at 10.30am.
We are also delighted to be working alongside Key 103 and their Mission Christmas appeal. New toy donations can be dropped off at Manchester Cathedral between 10.30am and 4pm. The last drop-off date is Wednesday 14 December.
The Dean of Manchester, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender said:
“Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ and God’s gift of love to the world. It is a time to gather as families or communities to celebrate and experience the joy of Christmas. The Cathedral concerts and services provide an opportunity to celebrate with others and to offer our worship to the Christ child. Whilst we celebrate Christmas with joy, we are also acutely aware of the many individuals and families who are struggling in a variety of ways. Christ who is Emmanuel comes alongside all who suffer, whether through bereavement, loneliness or any other hardships. May Christ bring hope to each person in our city this Christmas.”
For many of the charities, the Cathedral hosts the annual Christmas concert is a great fundraising opportunity. The Cathedral is responsible for raising its own funds to remain open to the public 365 days a year, so we understand how important fundraising events are and we work hard to support the charities by keeping the costs of holding a carol concert or Christmas services at Manchester Cathedral to the minimum, rather than charging a commercial rate. We have been able to support these charities and community groups by waiving approximately £15,000 of costs throughout December.
Click here for the full list of concerts and services, including ticket details.
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