Manchester's Christmas starts in early November and does not stop until the new year. We supply bar, floor and event staff on one published festive rate, with names confirmed within two hours of booking.
Manchester's Christmas season is longer than most. The markets open in the first week of November, and with them come the first corporate parties, client drinks and team nights out. By December, hotels, restaurants and large venues are running shared party nights several times a week, and Spinningfields, Deansgate, Ancoats and the Northern Quarter are booked for exclusive hires.
Because the season is long, the best way to get the people you want is to avoid the obvious dates. Late November and the Monday to Wednesday of the first two weeks of December are easier to staff than the Fridays before Christmas.
We recruit a Manchester-based team the same way we recruit at home in Newcastle: interview, two references, a paid trial shift. At booking we tell you honestly what we can fill locally. If a party is bigger than our Manchester bench on that date, we say so within two hours and either fill the gap with travelling team, travel at cost, or tell you the number we can deliver.
Metrolink and the trains out of Piccadilly and Victoria do not run all night, and a lot of people who work in Manchester live across Greater Manchester. We write the finish time into the brief and check it against how each person gets home before they accept. If your finish is after the last tram, we plan a lift or a taxi at cost and show it on the quote.
On market evenings, the streets around Albert Square, King Street and St Ann's Square are very busy. We allow extra time for people to arrive.
A restaurant on exclusive hire, 100 guests, with a sharing menu, a welcome drink and a DJ after dinner.
| Who and how long | Line |
|---|---|
| Floor staff, sharing service, Core6 × 6 hours × £28.00 | £1,008.00 |
| Bar staff, Core3 × 6 hours × £28.00 | £504.00 |
| Lead, runs the floor1 × 6 hours × £37.00 | £222.00 |
| Staff line, ex VAT10 people. VAT added at the standard rate. | £1,734.00 |
| Contingency, 20%Charged only if the night runs long. Unused, never charged. | £346.80 |
Sharing plates go down on the table in one trip, so one floor staff member to every 16 or 17 guests is enough, as long as the bar team is strong for the welcome drink. Festive rates: Core £28.00, Skilled £31.00, Lead £37.00. If the night comes in under the quoted total, we refund 5%. New clients also get one person for one four-hour shift free on their first booking.
Want your own numbers? Use the instant estimate on our rate card or send the brief for a written quote within 60 minutes.
Festive rates for Manchester, per hour, excluding VAT, 1 December to 2 January. No regional uplift. What we pay is shown next to what you pay.
| Tier | We pay them | You pay us |
|---|---|---|
| CoreBar staff, waiting, runners, kitchen porters, event crew, stewards, cloakroom, admissions | £16.00 + 12.07% holiday | £28.00 |
| SkilledCocktail bartenders, baristas, fine-dining and box waiters, hosts, brand ambassadors, team leaders | £18.50 + holiday | £31.00 |
| LeadSupervisors, event managers, chefs de partie | £22.00 + holiday | £37.00 |
| Senior chefSous chefs, head chefs | £26.00 + holiday | £43.00 |
Every client booking carries the same five guarantees, written into our terms of business.
Written, itemised, ex VAT, 8am to 8pm every day. Three hours outside that.
Your account manager's mobile is on the booking confirmation, answered on any day we have people working.
Anyone not right? Tell us in the first hour. No charge for them and a replacement on the way.
New clients get one person for one four-hour shift free on their first booking. See what you are buying.
Names confirmed within two hours of booking. If we cannot fill a position we say so at booking, never on the day.
From 1 December to 2 January, Core staff are £28.00 an hour ex VAT, Skilled £31.00, Leads £37.00 and senior chefs £43.00. November parties are on the standard card: Core £25.00.
Yes. The festive uplift of £3.00 an hour only applies from 1 December to 2 January. A party in late November, while the markets are open, is charged at our standard rates.
We recruit a Manchester-based team and confirm within two hours of booking how many people we can fill locally. If we cannot fill a number, we say so at booking, never on the night.
Yes. Book a named core team by Friday 16 October and the same people work every night of the run, with standby people covering sickness.
Yes, on the same card. Travel is charged at cost only beyond 15 miles of the worker's base.
See the whole rate card, start a full quote, or download the Christmas party staffing checklist (PDF). Looking for shifts yourself? Work with us.
When to book, how many people you need, and what to brief. One printable PDF.
One email with the PDF. No newsletter unless you ask. Unsubscribe any time.
If it did not open, download it here.
We will reply within 60 minutes between 8am and 8pm, or first thing tomorrow. Want it faster? Message us on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp usYour brief lands with Tasmyn or Liam, not a queue. A written quote within 60 minutes (8am to 8pm) and a call if anything needs clarifying. A named mobile is given to every client at booking.
Every person paid through our PAYE payroll, so you carry no status risk. Right-to-work checks before day one. Employers' Liability £10m, Public Liability £10m. Certificates with your first confirmation.
Keep them. Use us for the shifts they cannot fill, or the ones that matter most. Overflow is where most first clients start.
Short on people for a big weekend? We supply overflow to other agencies on the same published terms.