Christmas Markets Disappointment

[Insomnibrat]

So this year I decided to take myself off to the Manchester Christmas Markets for the day, in the interests of making myself feel festive. The last time I did this was probably 8 years ago and generally got a lovely warm glow from the whole experience.

I've come away feeling really 'meh' about it.... I expect mulled wine to be expensive, but £9 a cup!?! And no hopes of wandering around the markets, cosily huddled up, sipping it whilst perusing the stalls, no, I was bruskly told by a security guard to 'get back behind the fence', no drinking outside the hut. Oh.

I also noticed that a lot of the original craft stalls are all food and drink now, a good 70/30% spit in favour of food, and the stalls selling crafts were repeated every 5 or six cabins along, like they were all franchises, selling exactly the same goods.

It seems to have lost it's soul, somehow.

Anyone else been left slightly cold by the Markets this year?

I've not been for the last cpl of years for that reason. I still see the magic with the guts and the windmill and the lights etc but the stalls and how busy it always seems to be put me right off. I tend to just visit local garden centres and have a wander around their Christmas displays now. Housing units in hollinwood and Bents just off the east lancs near leigh are nice x

Having spent some time living in Germany and experiencing 'real' German Christmas Markets we were quite excited to go to B'Ham a few years ago.

...and I came away feeling the same as you OP - 'meh'

It wasn't any thing the ones we remembered - it was overpriced, full of repeated expensive tat and completely soulless.

I went to the Leeds Christmas market about 12 years ago and it was lovely, with actual crafts and German food. I went a few more times, still lovely. The i didn’t go for a while, went back about 4 years ago a d it was rubbish. There was nothing there I could it have got from Amazon or Lidl. Havn’t beeb back since.

I recommend Lincoln Xmas market and Chatsworth House Market if you want to feel festive! Much less tat for sale!

I think the Manchester markets have over-extended and are now too filled with cheap and nasty crap- they’ve lost most of their charm and I found them a bit depressing this year. Too many stalls of crappy pick and mix sweets, too many of badly made Christmas tat. The barriers and the police waving enormous machine guns really don’t help either, but there’s not much we can do about that, I suppose. They do reflect the streets they’re on, though- the King St and St Anne’s Square ones are nicer, the Market St ones are a bit grim.

They've always been poor. I may have a jaded view of them having worked in very close proximity to the Bath Xmas market when it first started. People are extra rude when it's busy overpriced but we could do nothing about it.

I'm a regular market goer and there is definitely more tat and more plastic. There are crafty stalls that I haven't seen in a while like the wooden/metal logic puzzles, the one that did those nice gloves and moccasins (really wanted to get baby DD some booties ) and the wooden toys.

It's a shame.

Yes! I totally agree.
We went to Manchester last weekend, with 'enjoying the Xmas markets' as part of the fun and they are so generic it was disappointing. Exactly what I’ve seen in other cities and towns in recent years.
And it was so spread out over the city centre.

We then went to our local (small market) twins late night shopping this week and it was lovely! Choirs, and bands, and local producers and so much food variety!

Haha yes Doobigetta the machine gun touting fellas having a laugh together were a bit of a culture shock for this country bumpkin

I went to Birmingham Christmas market this year and found the same 5 or 6 stalls repeated. The better stalls where we actually bought anything were the local producers next to the cathedral. The gluwein was much cheaper there as well. Twice as much mulled wine as the German stall holders for less money (£4).

A lot of these 'markets' are operated by outfits like this.

lsdpromotions.com

They tend to be the same toot peddlars that people see year round in monthly farmers' and other seasonal markets, but dressed up in 'festive' sheds.

Just be because it's in a shed with fairy lights on it doesn't make it a) nice or b) Christmassy.

I love the idea of markets but I hate the actual experience - pushing and shoving your way around, not being able to get to the stall to properly see anything, and is it just me who can’t deal with trying to pay for stuff when there’s nowhere to put anything down - so you’re juggling a purse, your change, bags of stuff you’ve already bought, the stuff they’re trying to give back for you to take... i get so stressed! At least in a shop there’s a nice flat counter specifically for this and you’re not worried your other bags will be nicked if you leave go of them for one second. And you’re usually wearing gloves to add to the hilarity. I always think I’d like a hot chocolate or coffee to carry round but I think adding that into the mix would push me over the edge and I get the toilet fear.

Edinburgh Princes St is peak anticlimax in my opinion. Ridiculously crowded and the same stuff every single year. Now we have the kiddies it’s horrible as we have to grip their hands for dear life (when they were in buggies we were NOT popular in the crowd).
The only time I enjoyed it was about 9pm one night after a last minute shopping dash with my DM. It was strewn with litter but it was finally quiet, we ate venison burgers and looked out over the fairground with it’s pretty lights.

Been to some very small loacl ones which are ace like Ulverston Dickensian Festival, Kirkby Lonsdale Christmas Market and that one in Cockermouth

All locally put on and lots of different small businesses selling their wares.

The big city ones are pretty much all organised by the same people with the same big companies filling the stalls as they are the only ones who can afford it.

Look for more local smaller ones.

They all seem to be the same stuff. In the past two years I've been to Manchester, Chester, Leeds and York.

York was ok on one day but so busy the following day it was ridiculous. I don't know how anyone there could possibly be enjoying themselves. York was the only one I bought something from that wasn't food though.

Chester last year just seemed to be plastic tat from China, fake Lego etc or food. Again far two busy to enjoy.

Leeds and Manchester were very similar.

I always want to know why everyone calls them Christmas Markets when it's only one market.

I hear you @Mumberjack
Edinburgh is now ridiculous with police having to get involved due to the crush like conditions. We went with the kids last year and couldn’t believe how expensive it was. We spent over £70 in 30-45 minutes. That was for a go on the big wheel, 3 rides for each of our two children , and hot drinks and sweets. (A small bag of popcorn was £4 as was a lollipop)

The last really good Christmas market I went to was at Kelham Island in Sheffield.

We went to Manchester as they were literally packing up last year. Got a few things for about a third of the price but yes, our house is rammed too now, so don't really see the point anymore.

@WTFisaGleepGlorp, I had suspected something like this TBH.

We still have a good local monthly market which at least feels like more genuinely local businesses and they must have rules about who can sell there as it's all decent.

Bath Christmas market is aweful. Same with old tat, total waste of resources.

My experience of Christmas markets is always shuffling along in the cold, trapped on all sides by hoardes of people, not actually being able to stop or look at anything properly because of said hoardes, everything so overpriced and usually got some excitable children wanting to look at, touch or buy everything. General misery.

Perhaps when child free, with lots to spend, not surrounding by thousands of people and slightly pissed, it might be enjoyable? I just give them a miss now.

The stalls are really, really expensive to hire/buy, whatever the word is, I think. That's why so many of them are food related.

I just find them shabby and depressing.

So many Christmas outdoor activities seem to be shuffling round in abject misery with hundreds of other people to look at sheds or light bulbs. I need to work out a better way for next year. I hate it.

Yes, Manchester has really declined over the last few years. I used to enjoy going to pick up the lovely food things I missed from living in Germany, but it's hard to find them now and everything else is that or overpriced. Haven't bothered this year.

If you're in the area the Maker's Market that comes to Salford Quays each month/ around bank hols is much nicer; but only when it's outdoors - when they take the traders inside there's not enough space and it's quite disappointing.

TBH German Christmas markets are the same (although a bit better)

We used to live in Munich and they are the sort of place you go for a drink with colleagues after work.

There will be individual markets that are really good but vast quantities of repetitive tat. And in the UK you don't get the range of German foods or drinks, just endless Gluhwein and sausages so it is v disappointing.