Must-Buy Souvenirs

The worker bee, adopted as a symbol of Manchester's industriousness in the Victorian era and stamped into civic architecture across the city, was revived as a citywide emblem of unity after the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. Sold as pendants, earrings, cufflinks and tattoos-in-waiting citywide.

A current-season home or away shirt from either of the city's two Premier League clubs, sold at the megastores attached to each stadium with the option to add official player-name printing while you wait.

Bottles or cans of the purple Manchester-invented soft drink, sometimes packaged with retro-branded merchandise like enamel mugs or tote bags referencing its 1908 origin.

Screen prints and posters referencing the city's outsized music history — Joy Division and New Order's Factory Records design language, the Haçienda nightclub, Oasis and the Stone Roses — sold by independent print studios rather than mass-market souvenir shops.

A small-batch gin from one of several craft distilleries that opened in and around Manchester in the 2010s, often flavoured with botanicals sourced from the surrounding Pennine countryside. A tasting tour at the distillery itself is a popular alternative to just buying a bottle.