Halloween in the City works a treat for city centre footfall

1st Nov 2022

PRESS RELEASE: 1 November 2022

  • City centre welcomed close to quarter of a million visitors over annual Halloween in the City weekend
  • Footfall up by 30,000 compared to previous weekend and +5% increase on 2021 Halloween weekend
  • Sunday trading given an extra boost with additional 17,000 visitors YoY as families flocked to enjoy free family-friendly event

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Close to a quarter of a million visitors flocked to Manchester city centre last weekend to enjoy the city’s Halloween festivities including popular annual event and one of the biggest Halloween celebrations in the UK –   Halloween in the City – organised by Manchester Business Improvement District, on behalf of the city’s retailers and hospitality businesses.

The city welcomed an extra 30,000 visitors compared to the previous weekend, which also saw footfall exceed figures recorded for Halloween weekend in 2021 by 5%. Sunday trading was given a particular boost with an additional 17,000 visitors over the Halloween weekend (compared to 2021), with many of these families heading into the city centre to enjoy day two of the city’s free-family friendly event, Halloween in the City.

2022’s line-up at Halloween in the City saw a massive monster music festival hit the city’s shopping streets, the return of the giant inflatable MCR monsters (created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas), which took over rooftops and buildings across the city, a Fancy Dress Challenge and a Monsters Rock Procession, courtesy of Walk the Plank, the creative minds behind the Manchester Day Parade, featuring giant puppet monsters, stilt walkers and a live band.

Jane Sharrocks, Manchester Business Improvement District Chair and General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square, said: “Halloween in the City grows in stature every year and has proven yet again to be an event which significantly contributes to city centre footfall. As the third-largest seasonal shopping event, Halloween is a key time of year for our retailers and hospitality businesses and by hosting one of the biggest and best Halloween celebrations in the UK, we’re helping these businesses to maximise sales during this period, while at the same time providing a free event for families from across Greater Manchester.

“Halloween is very much the kick-off for the vital Christmas shopping season and we’re now looking forward to our Festive Sundays – a six week programme of roaming performances, live music and more which start later this month – to help support city centre businesses as they transition into this peak trading period.”

ENDS

 For more media information please contact Anoushka or Kat at ECHO on 07732 846650 or email anoushka@echo-pr.co.uk / kat@echo-pr.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Manchester Business Improvement District (Manchester BID) is a consortium of 400 leading retail and hospitality brands in the city centre. The BID is managed by the city centre management company, CityCo. Businesses voted-in the BID in 2013, and pay a levy to help fund City Hosts (tourist information officers), customer service, promotional and operational projects that support the vibrancy of the city centre. £6 million is being invested in the second term of the BID (2018-23).

Over the past 24 months the BID has supported members around lockdown, reopening guidance, legislation and licensing advice, outdoor seating permits, security, policing, Council and transport briefings, tourism campaigns, and government lobbying on a regional and national level for retail and hospitality industries. The BID’s annual event programme includes Halloween in the City and The Manchester Flower Show alongside collaborating with partners on other key city centre events including Manchester’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations. More information can be found at manchesterbid.com