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?

Winchester js my local one and it's in a nice setting in the Cathedral Close. So I walk through it a few times when it's set up and at dusk on a frosty evening its atmospheric. But everything else applies. Little of merit to buy, year after year. The stall rental is apparently very expensive which rules out lots of small producers which is what people want to find in a market. So, it looks nice. Worth dropping into Cathedral for choral evensong which is lovely.

We visited Bath a couple of years ago for the Christmas market, it wasn't up to much, so we went for a walk up to the Royal Crescent. We came across No.1, which is a Georgian house all decorated for Christmas in keeping with the period. Absolutely wonderful and well worth a visit, unlike the market.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the place to go to be ripped off.
2 small freezing cold red wines in white plastic cups £16.

I work in Manchester city centre. Used to enjoy the market years ago but its been awful for ages now. I hate how busy town gets. i really hope the council do something better with it but chances are they are making so much money out of it, stuffing every street with stalls, they wont stop.

Im fed up of Christmas activities that cost £££££££. Why do people put up with being so ripped off?

The Leeds Castle market here in Kent was £70 for a family or £25 each just to walk through the gate of the grounds! I was so shocked. We didn’t go on principle- no way would I pay that just as an entrance fee. I live in market town so went to some of the local Xmas craft fairs here which are much better; free to get and lovely gifts all handmade so I bought some gifts and also helped my local community. Plus I can have a coffee and mince pie much more cheaply at a local cafe. Canterbury has had lots of markets going on but they do tend to be pretty crowded, but it do love Canters it’s a lovely city overall and I enjoy going there. On the whole I try to support local business and traders. But £70! Just to get in to a market ffs cos it has castle as a backdrop ! Totally prohibitive cost for many and I thought, how many presents could I get for that? Let alone the transport costs as Leeds Castle is in the countryside, Ridiculous !

Yes, Liverpool, Christmas Tat.
Loads of fudge. Very few crafts.

Every other year I go to Bath Christmas market. It has definitely lost its appeal but I love Bath itself so just do a tour of the stands and then wander around Bath. They have lots of individual shops and if you get off the main drag you can find great cafes and pubs. I went the last Saturday it was on. It was crowded but a good atmosphere. I did not buy anything though, I did buy some things from the shops. A good mix of goods on the stands though, good quality. On the last Saturday Bath rugby were playing at their ground against an Irish team (the ground is in the centre of Bath) and that added to the "scrum" of people. All good natured though.

I went to Lincoln a few years ago. That is in a great setting.

Winchester, though small, is also in a great place. However, it is somewhere I would go to in passing but not make a special trip.

Having lived in Germany for four years when the kids were little I find anything else a pale imitation. One of the things I love about Germany is that it really values it's own culture and traditions, the same can be said about France where I live now. I'm going back to Britain for Christmas and looking forward to some British culture - country pubs, the National Trust, brass bands and carol concerts, pantomime, the great British high street - I think the problem in Britain is we don't always appreciate our own culture. I'm coming home to embrace some British traditions - hopefully there are still plenty to be found.

"I think the problem in Britain is we don't always appreciate our own culture."

I agree. And anyone showing any form of patriotism is accused of being a memeber of the BNP/Britain First. The only time it is acceptable to be proud of being British is at major sporting events. Hardly anyone celebrates St George's Day for instance, but St Patrick's Day is another matter, and so is American Independence Day. And how many of those enjoying them actually have any Irish or American blood in them?

Totally overrated, a colleague of mine went to the Birmingham one and was so excited to be able to buy a glass of mulled wine , I just don’t get it, she could have stayed at home save a three hour round trip & made herself a whole vat of mulled wine.

I was at Christmas markets in Cologne in Germany earlier this month, I thought they were lovely, delicious food and Glühwein and lots of beautifully crafted locally items on stalls.
I’ve been to markets in Vienna and Munich in the past and they were also lovely, although I liked Cologne the best. I didn’t travel especially for the markets, but if you want to see a city anyway it’s a great way to combine a city break with some festive cheer. The markets here just don’t compare.

Has anyone been to the St Albans one?

I go to Winchester every year, usually after dark as it's quieter and more atmospheric. The setting is so beautiful. The stalls do seem to be the same every year, but in general the stuff is quite nice to look at, I particularly like the bit to one side where local artists and craftspeople have stalls. I don't usually buy food and drink from the stalls but the cafe by the ice rink does a nice sausage roll.

Went to the Salisbury Xmas market last year and it was quite good and lots of huts and interesting local shops and the usual weekend market was up and running as well.
Then all the scary stuff happened with the Novichock.
This year the market was much reduced and they had an ice rink plonked right in the middle of it all.
Wasn't as good and there were far too many cheese and gin stalls!

Bath Christmas market gets bigger every year, but stalls are no better - just more of the same.

Inexplicably it attracts huge crowds. Seems to be particularly popular with the Welsh who come in by the coach load.

I avoid going into the city completely now when the Xmas market is on - just too stressful.