To think that most christmas markets are having us over

We went to Bath last year and really enjoyed it - but went down on the Friday. Saturday morning people were pouring in as we left and it looked like it was going to be a nightmare.

Always have been but even more so the past few years. Xx

We went to Wells Xmas market and it was ok, bakes and cakes between £3-4 and we had a huge burger bap and sausage bap for £14 total with onions and the works. I thought that was reasonable. Saw mulled wine for £5.

I think I kept going to them longer than I should have done purely because I had such good memories of them from about 15 years ago.

The local church is doing an event this week, up the road, free cakes and snacks and the mulled wine is £3...carols etc...sensible prices.

We went to a small local xmas market up the road yesterday, every saturday there is an over priced food market running with vans....£15 for small bowl of noodles, £8 for a slice of cake....so they had mulled wine at £10 a paper cup or a bottle for £37....boxes of matches with a paper xmas tree stuck on the box for £13....we looked later and the matches had actually sold out....our area has lots of young couples with kids and obviously far too much money and no brains. all a total rip off.

The 'paying for the experience' argument works if it is an experience.

Little local Christmas fairs or 1 day markets where you have carol singers, Santa or a lucky dip for kids, maybe a raffle or similar aren't the sophisticated Instagram/TikTok kind of experience but they're more entertaining than standing in a closed street in the middle of some sheds drinking mulled wine while watching out for pickpockets. At the other end of the scale the markets that are mostly food stalls are fun if you go to eat out but they're not markets. They're food courts. As an example, the Oxford one has gone from being mostly market stalls with a range of 'not found on the high street' products, to being 90% churros, bratwurst and raclette with a couple of stalls selling nice stuff, but it's stuff you could buy in town anyway. It doesn't really know what it's trying to be so it can't get it right.

Nobody forces you to go there or buy anything.

I think the trick is to find a little town or village that puts on a good one and make a day of it. I went to one yesterday and hot chocolate was on offer for £1.50 from local girl guides, lots of locals who make bags, wooden chopping boards from local tree fall, enamelled jewellery, home made soap and candles it was really nice. I think the big ones in cities are really expensive for the stallholders to attend so they need to make their money through high prices.

They are hideously overpriced. I like to buy the Bratwurst, churros or chocolate-dipped strawberries etc but this year the churros were £9... obscene and not worth it. For the same price you could get to-notch churros in a restaurant.

I went to a local town for their Christmas lights switch on and the music/stage was so loud it completely ruined it for me and my husband. The food was alright and my spiced apple cider was yummy but small for £4. We didn't buy anything from the stalls as nothing looked that tempting and we had a 1 year old trying to run away from us!

I totally agree about Christmas markets and Winter Wonderland etc. I would go begrudgingly now but definitely not spend much money. And afterwards probably think it was all a bit too busy and boring! But I don't like rides and don't drink (pregnant and/or breastfeeding for the last few years).

A new gimmick for these so called. Christmas Markets.

Reindeer steaks burgers and mince.

Bet they would taste nice and cost afortune

Only meat from reindeers who have died of natural causes to comply with woke police.

It’s not compulsory to go. Staying away with these prices might have a positive effect on prices.

I’ve no idea why, but assorted social media posters are blaming local councils for the prices. As if they had any control on them - or maybe there’s some secret Hot Dog Pricing Sub Committee I am unaware of?

A very tenth rate experience at that
Started off as genuine back in the day. With lots of authentic, hand made. And different lovely gifts and food

Now turned into free for all, for chancers and wide heads on the make selling trash and run of the mill crap food.

We went to one last week, thinking I'd get a nice glass bauble for the tree. When I saw the price of £34 I changed my mind!
Meanwhile our DS is working in Germany, food at the nearby Christmas market is really nice and half the price of here. He's bringing me a bauble too.

The Norwegian Christmas fair inside the Norwegian church in Rotherhithe was nice, not massive but spent a nice hour there bought lovely cake, coffee, few groceries and couple of Xmas decs.

I’ve been consciously avoiding them for years. I visited my first many moons ago with my DDs and realised that it was just overpriced food carts and tat for sale. I figured it was just that one. Then I visited another one and realised that’s exactly what they are … they just look pretty and Christmassy 🫤

100% .... we went to the local christmas market last week and fancied a sausage in a bun - the queue was massive so we wandered on and went into the local indoor market and the said sausage shop has a permanent stall in the market which had no queue, had seats and as it was under cover it was much warmer. The sausage in a bun inside was £4 - out at the Christmas Market it was £6. Exactly same sausage in a bun!

We went in to meet friends. Straight in the pub! The Minster beautiful as always and had an amazing meal in Nola. Back home on the late bus, sing song led by the driver. I think the Christmas market and its overpriced tat from China needs relocating.

Most of these markets r a rip.off they have to put the prices of "tat" up in some cases, to cover the cost od the stall. I think we have all been "had" at some point at these markets. We refuse to go now.

I went to the Bath one several years ago. It was so rammed that you couldn’t even get to the huts of overpriced tat, they were about 10 people deep!

It’s just not fun. So never again

I've not tried them before. Should be interesting 🤗

Gin soaked sloes omg!! I thee out the ones I didn’t have enough gin for I’m kicking myself! They grow here by the thousand.