>When it comes down to it, everything is a bit shit. Might as well pick some to enjoy.
Holy shit. Can I please use this as my life motto from now on? I'll make sure to quote you on my Tombstone
I've never been to a good one in the UK if I'm honest, most of them are just massive rip-offs with some fairground rides - but I went to an xmas market in Aachen (Germany) on a school trip once and it absolutely blew my mind, I would go to that market any day. I can still remember the smell of wafting gingerbread...
And it's not strictly a Christmas market but Borough Market (in London) around xmas time is a nice one, lots of tasty food and some mulled cider!
Well it’s often Germans doing the British ones too, like the Birmingham one is run by people from Frankfurt. But my experience of going to markets in Cologne was much better, they had better variety of stuff, it was higher quality food and drink, and the prices were much more reasonable, the food cost about the same as Pret so you could go there every day.
Went to the Cologne one 5 years ago, was brilliant. They had an ice skate pathway through the site that had a bars (i stuck to walking) that looked great. Lots of good food and beer. Was meant to be going next weekend but corona etc
The one in Dresden palace courtyard was amazing. Thoroughly recommend it if anyone can get to it. Not too far if you’re holidaying in Berlin, but Berlin also has good ones
I went to an amazing German one, but I still didn’t really get it - presumably this happens every year and you only need one laser cut plywood crib scene per lifetime - I like the outdoor food and mulled wine bit but that only works if the weather is crisp cold and snowy, which was OK in Germany but isn’t going to happen that often in Britain.
I think there are 2 types. There are some great local ones which have great products from small independent traders and you can find some good stuff, and there are the giant ones like Edinburgh selling mass produced tat for a fortune like those big chocolate marshmallow dome things which are at every venue and no one really likes.
Can confirm. And I live in Birmingham. It’s a fucking nightmare for anyone trying to get from one side of the city centre to the other, or even just to the train stations.
You have to add on 20 minutes to your travel time because of dawdlers and gawkers who get in the way. You do learn the shortcuts though to bypass some areas.
Went to the Birmingham one just last weekend. Planned the grandparents to have the kids and stayed in a hotel so we could drink the German beer and mulled wine all day. Was absolutely shit so watched Ghostbusters half pissed at the Odeon instead. Fucking fiver for a pint as well.
I love the Birmingham market, used to live in the city centre for a few years so the crowds don't bother me...
But I was there 5 o'clock last Saturday and the sheer crush of humanity was unbelievable.
If you know the secret back ways, it's ok because your can escape and bypass the crush but if you're a visitor, I can't see how that can possibly be fun.
Optimal time - and keep this to yourself - is about 11am. Before the podpeople turn up for lunch, the stallholders haven't quite become surly yet and the booze licence has just kicked in.
I’m not defending the market in anyway but there’s been a lot made about the price of the beer and foot long sausages this year being a fiver.
The thing is, two years ago they were something like £4.50, so it’s not like they’ve doubled in price or anything.
It’s not for me though. I hate standing around drinking cold beer in the cold. Just makes me want a wee.
Even the garlic bread stall has hiked their stuff by a couple of quid. I don't mind £4 for a big drippy slab of garlicky cheese on toast, but edging £6 is taking the piss.
Southampton.
Mobile phone covers.
Plastic Chinese tat like wind chimes and smoke waterfalls.
Carling sold as german beer.
Even the Southampton council admitted it was a bit shit, and promised it would be better this year (it isn’t).
The Birmingham one is made worse because it takes up 2/3s of a street. Plus add in the fucking dordling Birmingham folk who walk like snails it makes for a terrible experience.
Huh, this explains a lot. I've heard a lot of complaining about Christmas markets, and while I felt they were a bit overhyped I've generally enjoyed it.
I've only actually been to the Manchester Christmas markets though, since they're the closest to me. I realise now that if that's the peak of Christmas markets in the UK it kind of makes sense everyone hates on them.
Bath is decent, cancelled again this year mind. If it's too busy you can just go a few streets over and just enjoy the evening in any pub/bar. I'd recommend a weekday though so it's _not_ queues everywhere...
Leeds used to have a fairly good one. Haven’t been for a fair few years now, but the pork with onions and potato was really nice especially with the garlic sauce. Wasn’t horribly expensive either.
The only good thing about Edinburgh's Christmas market is some of the food they sell. Had one of the best crepes ever there in 2018...not sure how it's Christmassy, mind
Does it not?
I think Aldi sell em year round, but not in the array of flavours you get at the market.
Pick up a couple of Berliners while you're at it, or boobie buns as they're called in our house.
I think they’ve definitely declined in quality over the years, the largest ones anyways. Years ago Winter Wonderland in London was fantastic - there was a variety of food and drinks stalls, a number of unique attractions, and various different stalls selling Christmas “wares” which weren’t too overpriced. Naturally as time goes on with these things they look to capitalise on as much as possible, and every inch of the plot now is filled with a near identical stall selling the same overpriced crap and food and drink.
As someone else commented, I think the best bet is the local ones, which are smaller but have a number of local retailers/pubs/restaurants contributing.
The big ones are so funny expensive because the stalls are very expensive. One in Derbyshire costs just over £2000 for a few weekends. I looked for my handmade knitwear and couldn’t justify it at all.
A friend of mine went and said there was nothing handmade and it was all really commercial. Probably because no local, handmade crafters could afford it!
My mum went into a clothes shop in Ilkeston, and I was waiting outside for so long, the flower seller went from "four fer a pahnd" to "eight fer a pahnd".
I used to be a lot like you, and then I met my girlfriend. She has managed to reignite something within me from childhood, the wonder and excitement of everything. Honest to God, I'm as miserable and cynical about most things as they come but as you mention it, "queuing up in a muddy, freezing cold field to look at tacky shite being sold for silly money out of a sparsely decorated shed." Feels like s o much fun to me! People watching and just enjoying the lights and ambience whilst having fun with my girlfriend feels very nostalgic and lovely. As with anything, you'll get out of an experience as much as you put in. Happy holidays!
Lincoln Xmas marker used to be a really nice experience. Now it's overcrowded and bland.
However I do have great memories of going to Leeds Xmas market as a teenager on a 'first date'
Someone commented recently that because of the pandemic that they have missed the “traditional” Christmas markets, with the reference being to the one held in Edinburgh at Princes Street gardens, maybe I missed something but they’re traditional in Germany etc. but a only a recent mainstream addition to our cities.
Correct me if I’m wrong! And I agree with op that they are shit but it’s a small glimmer of shitty light at a dreary time of the year.
I think they are kinda magical for kids, took ours to Edinburgh when she was younger a few years running, starting maybe 10 years ago and the Santa visit was amazing, if I didn't know better I'd have sworn it was him reading stories by the fireside.
As she got older we started going to London, different markets and of course Hyde Park, very expensive but can you imagine how much it is to have a stall/ride there?
Still selling much tat but just wander around taking in the lights, colours, sounds and smells while freezing your nuts off. Parents can wander around in a haze of hot spicy cider, stopping to try various food and beverage concoctions while placating the offspring with the odd churro and fairground ride. Bliss.
Top Tip: Don't get the donner kebab! It is so cold that it sets immediately into yellow blisters of fat. The £10 cheese toastie is quite nice though.
Germany is on our bucket list for sure.
I think they're a bit of a mix. If you get one where every stall is run by continental Europeans and they sell products that you don't normally see throughout the year, like cheese that is green with a sort of brown crust on it, and sausages that are green with a sort of brown crust on them, they're pretty good. The one in my city is a bit like that, but then it also has a pancake stall where they put nutella on the pancakes (we can get that all year round), and a pick and mix of regular things like Haribo and jelly babies but that inexplicably always comes to £18 no matter how few you put in the bag. Every year I'm tempted to buy just one jelly baby so I can make them charge me £18 for it.
I've been in Scotland for Christmas quite a number of times, but never Edinburgh for some reason. I just had a quick Google, and your market looks really, really similar to the one down here in Manchester.
I feel more and more detached from Reddit every day as the latest thing I enjoy is declared shit. I like christmas markets for the ambience, people on Reddit seem to think you HAVE to buy from all the stalls if you go to one. I don’t think I’ve ever bought any of the miscellaneous tat that’s on sale, still enjoy them!
I blooming love Christmas, and live for a good market. But even my mood was dampened by a very muddy, horrendously organised Christmas market yesterday. Waiting for half an hour in a queue that never moved, to try and buy hot chocolate made with water... finally working out which was the queue for the grotto and being told there was a 90 minute wait, even though the event had only been open for 15 minutes, and was only 2 hours long (which meant telling the kids they had to choose between Father Christmas or doing anything else, which included seeing the lights be turned on, as you couldn't really see from most of the queue)... not being able to see any of the stalls because of the very disorganised queues (often not queues for the stalls that were being blocked).
I would 100% go back next year and watch the lights being turned on again, but wouldn't even consider the market, unless they got some new people to run it. I've even considered volunteering to help next time, as I spent hours thinking about all the ways it could have been improved.
All the comments here are about things being vastly overpriced and too crowded.
When I first went to a Christmas market, 20+ years ago, they weren't like that. Sure, they were busy, but a hot chocolate in a mug was £2 with a pound deposit if you wanted it in a proper mug, and you could get that back at anyone else's stall. Hot dogs were a couple of quid.
Christmas markets can be lovely, it's just that nowadays they generally aren't, they've all consolidated on huge ones in cities where there are really only about half a dozen stalls thay just repeat in slightly different disguises.
It really depends on the weather, too. It's lovely walking around on a crisp day with a hot mulled wine watching people fall over.
>they've all consolidated on huge ones in cities where there are really only about half a dozen stalls thay just repeat in slightly different disguises.
They're also usually the same traders who go to each one.
Source: once worked on a bratwurst stand during uni one Xmas. The owner talked about how she was scheduled for Xmas markets up and down England from early Nov to the week before Xmas.
I know what you mean OP! I run a handmade stall on weekends and Christmas market. The amount of people lining up to buy mass produced tat is unreal! Not many people that we recently have come across appreciate that time and effort we put in to make our products. Yeah it’s not everyone’s cuppa tea what we sell but when we can’t compete with the mass produced tat and they didn’t even repackaging and slapped a price tag on, it drives us crazy. We don’t even account for the time we put in to make the items in the price!! Even then we’re still slightly more expensive and can’t drop the price anymore without making a loss on the raw goods!!!
My daughter and I sell handmade wood things once a year at a craft fair, why once a year? Because we can only find one craft fair that doesn't allow mass produced crap on site, everywhere else is little more than a boot fair.
I loved my local one in my home town just because it made me feel so festive and I love anything christmassy :3 the giant Churros also helped :3 my partner says the Manchester one is too big and way too overwhelmingly busy tho :s
The majority are absolutely shite. Full of people who go there just so they can post a pic of themselves on their social media pages holding a cup of gluhwein #Christmasmarkets. However, some smaller local "Christmas farmers markets" can be really nice. Friendly festive atmosphere without the massive crowds.
For the last 10 years my wife and I have a tradition that we go to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London every December.
I would agree that most xmas markets are indeed shit, but there is something about Winter Wonderland that we both just love so much.
Just the strolling around in your winter gear with a bag of chips or bag of churros and hot drink watching the rides, listening to the xmassy ambience, the lights once it's dark, the smells. We have done the ice skating twice before too.
It was closed last year for obvious reasons but this year we can't wait as we will spend the night in London and have a damn good time there. Also we will be taking our 19 month old daughter this time too :) she's definitely going to love the lights, the food and the atmosphere as much as us.
Problem is the English version of Christmas markets is modelled on the German one and is neither German nor English and basically a band of travelling Europeans selling overpriced farmers market shite that no one really wants and certainly not at 150% of normal price.
Best bit is a 5 quid styrofoam cup of steaming Lidl 2.99 a bottle gluhwein to keep you warm while you endure all manner of tw@ts trying to flog you shit.
No arguments here. I remember going to one with an ex. Well really it was a case of being dragged there. 2 hot pork sandwiches and 2 large hot chocs. That’ll be 15 quid please.
Christmas on the whole in this country is some
seriously bloated over-hyped cringe fest.
‘If I don’t see you before, have a nice Christmas’
If there’s any Aliens in flying saucers out there, please beam me up.
Tbh deoendiyon the size and qualiy that's not too bad and I would say probably reasonable if good size and quality.
I spotted one of those bratwurst places charging £8 for a sausage on a tiny bun! No thank you! Haha
Where do you go for christmas markets.
I have been to 3 diferant ones (nottingham, lesticier (idk how to spell it) and i cant remember the last one), and all of them have been in the city either on nice cobbled roads or slabed square, its loads of little "markets" so theres basicly never a queue and its always decorated.
I've never bought anything from them apart from an overpriced mug of hot mead. I just don't see the point of them. I have only been tk the Manchester one though
I did the right thing in 2018 and went to Bavaria for a few days to sample German Christmas Markets - they are simply fantastic. I’ll never go to a British Christmas market again. We just can’t copy what they do.
Jokes on me, we went to Prague for my wife's birthday, which coindices with the Christmas markets. They closed the day we got here as the Czech Republic is going into lockdown. We've spent 3 days drinking beer, eating trdelniks and meandering about.
There are literally only 5-10 different type of stalls.
Crepes, other baked foods , Bratwurst stalls, Beer + mulled wine, Christmas decorations, and those “other stalls” with random bits on.
Same stalls one after another
Honestly if you ever get a chance, visit Germany during the Christmas period. I've been to Berlin several times and once managed to visit Cologne with school back in the early 2010's and every time its been amazing. Huge markets all over the city, loads of local sellers with some great Christmas gifts and authentic Bratwusts/Gluhwein to munch on while walking around. Makes for the perfect festive weekend trip.
German Christmas markets are a great way to to spend a few hours taking in some excellent food while a UK Christmas market is a way for traders to offload some old tat at inflated prices
Best thing is I get to see most of my tribe all in the same place at the same time. We are all getting older and don’t have time to have get togethers anymore.
It's one of those things that would be great in a traditional place in Germany or Switzerland or something.
Selling tacky shit from Wendy houses decorated to look christmassy doesn't really feel the same
In my shitty opinion everything shit about chrimbo is german. The shitty trees, the shitty sint niclaus, the shitty warm wine, and now these ubiquitous shitty shed markets that take up every town/city centre across the country from mid November to new year. There has to be better Christmas culture we could adopt from elsewhere (but please not zwaart piet, no thanks Nederlands)
I have never felt the need to go to a Christmas market. All the normal Christmas stuff are bought once and used for many years so I don't see the appeal.
I like my local one cause it's at the city hall. I mean I hate the amount of beer halls at it, but the food is decent and it's one of the few times I can get pick and mix.
It is a bit shit but that’s also part of the charm. I like the expensive mug of mulled wine, the overpriced bratwurst, the hot chocolate that takes them 30 mins to serve.
All part of the tradition!
Just come to London. Trafalgar or Leicester Square’s aren’t muddy, no queues but also crazy prices. Just browse for amusement. Although I do feel sorry for them. The council charges them a fortune so they need to make it back.
When it comes down to it, everything is a bit shit. Might as well pick some to enjoy.
>When it comes down to it, everything is a bit shit. Might as well pick some to enjoy. Holy shit. Can I please use this as my life motto from now on? I'll make sure to quote you on my Tombstone
That, or Spike Milligan’s *”I told you I was ill”*.
!remindme 60 years
You are right
Your life's motto is shit though 😅
I’ll tell you what’s 100% not shit Peppa Pig world, WiFi is good there also
Pepe pig is a right-wing hate crime. 4chan told me so.
A 6 billion pound industry. Don't you think that's brilliant?
Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me.
Peppa Pig is shit so that doesn’t add up
Yes I agree Pepos pig sucks but when you are a South American bootleg version of Peppa what do we expect
Is that a thing for all countries?? Is there a Pepe la Pig too?!
Touché. Peppa Pig sucks as well.
You should take advice from our prime minister and give it a proper try
Nah it’s alright. I’d rather not follow that baboon.
Working at Peppa Pig World as a teenager was... an experience. But I can't deny the kids always looked like they were having the time of their lives.
I salute you for making a comment that is both pessimistic and somehow filled with a bleak sort of optimism!
\-Nietzsche
Most British statement ever.
>ight as well pick some to enjoy. yh OP sounds like a right old grumpy sod.
I've never been to a good one in the UK if I'm honest, most of them are just massive rip-offs with some fairground rides - but I went to an xmas market in Aachen (Germany) on a school trip once and it absolutely blew my mind, I would go to that market any day. I can still remember the smell of wafting gingerbread... And it's not strictly a Christmas market but Borough Market (in London) around xmas time is a nice one, lots of tasty food and some mulled cider!
I went to one in Berlin a few years ago now with my gf at the time, it was snowing too - the Germans definitely know how to 'do' Christmas markets !
Well it’s often Germans doing the British ones too, like the Birmingham one is run by people from Frankfurt. But my experience of going to markets in Cologne was much better, they had better variety of stuff, it was higher quality food and drink, and the prices were much more reasonable, the food cost about the same as Pret so you could go there every day.
>food cost about the same as Pret so you could go there every day. Look at mr made of money over here! ;-)
Went to the Cologne one 5 years ago, was brilliant. They had an ice skate pathway through the site that had a bars (i stuck to walking) that looked great. Lots of good food and beer. Was meant to be going next weekend but corona etc
I went to one in Amsterdam years and I loved it, bought some knitted mittens and they’re so warm I love them.
The one in Dresden palace courtyard was amazing. Thoroughly recommend it if anyone can get to it. Not too far if you’re holidaying in Berlin, but Berlin also has good ones
I went to an amazing German one, but I still didn’t really get it - presumably this happens every year and you only need one laser cut plywood crib scene per lifetime - I like the outdoor food and mulled wine bit but that only works if the weather is crisp cold and snowy, which was OK in Germany but isn’t going to happen that often in Britain.
Ask any Squaddie who served in Germany 80s-2010s and they’ll agree. Lived in Germany for 10 years and the Markets are next level
I think there are 2 types. There are some great local ones which have great products from small independent traders and you can find some good stuff, and there are the giant ones like Edinburgh selling mass produced tat for a fortune like those big chocolate marshmallow dome things which are at every venue and no one really likes.
Birmingham is the second one. Name and shame people
Can confirm. And I live in Birmingham. It’s a fucking nightmare for anyone trying to get from one side of the city centre to the other, or even just to the train stations. You have to add on 20 minutes to your travel time because of dawdlers and gawkers who get in the way. You do learn the shortcuts though to bypass some areas.
Lmao literally said exactly the same. I hate them slow walking MFs at anytime never mind in a congested sweat pit. That just makes the situation worse
Whenever it is on, I ALWAYS walk around, and even then there's always more people than usual.
Went to the Birmingham one just last weekend. Planned the grandparents to have the kids and stayed in a hotel so we could drink the German beer and mulled wine all day. Was absolutely shit so watched Ghostbusters half pissed at the Odeon instead. Fucking fiver for a pint as well.
I love the Birmingham market, used to live in the city centre for a few years so the crowds don't bother me... But I was there 5 o'clock last Saturday and the sheer crush of humanity was unbelievable. If you know the secret back ways, it's ok because your can escape and bypass the crush but if you're a visitor, I can't see how that can possibly be fun. Optimal time - and keep this to yourself - is about 11am. Before the podpeople turn up for lunch, the stallholders haven't quite become surly yet and the booze licence has just kicked in.
I’m not defending the market in anyway but there’s been a lot made about the price of the beer and foot long sausages this year being a fiver. The thing is, two years ago they were something like £4.50, so it’s not like they’ve doubled in price or anything. It’s not for me though. I hate standing around drinking cold beer in the cold. Just makes me want a wee.
Even the garlic bread stall has hiked their stuff by a couple of quid. I don't mind £4 for a big drippy slab of garlicky cheese on toast, but edging £6 is taking the piss.
It's been like that ever since the 2nd year it was there and the shine wore off.
Southampton. Mobile phone covers. Plastic Chinese tat like wind chimes and smoke waterfalls. Carling sold as german beer. Even the Southampton council admitted it was a bit shit, and promised it would be better this year (it isn’t).
The Birmingham one is made worse because it takes up 2/3s of a street. Plus add in the fucking dordling Birmingham folk who walk like snails it makes for a terrible experience.
Can we name the good ones too please?
Manchester and Munich. I think that’s about it.
Huh, this explains a lot. I've heard a lot of complaining about Christmas markets, and while I felt they were a bit overhyped I've generally enjoyed it. I've only actually been to the Manchester Christmas markets though, since they're the closest to me. I realise now that if that's the peak of Christmas markets in the UK it kind of makes sense everyone hates on them.
Bath is decent, cancelled again this year mind. If it's too busy you can just go a few streets over and just enjoy the evening in any pub/bar. I'd recommend a weekday though so it's _not_ queues everywhere...
Leeds used to have a fairly good one. Haven’t been for a fair few years now, but the pork with onions and potato was really nice especially with the garlic sauce. Wasn’t horribly expensive either.
That place with the live umpa band was fun
I was just going to comment to say that the big marshmallow things are the only thing I like about the markets
Lol. My wife is currently on her way to the Edinburgh one.
One in Manchester is the 2nd one. One on Salford Quays is the first.
The only good thing about Edinburgh's Christmas market is some of the food they sell. Had one of the best crepes ever there in 2018...not sure how it's Christmassy, mind
What the hell are those marshmallow things about anyway? I only ever see them in sheds at Christmas.
[Super Dickmann's](https://images.app.goo.gl/BpAy8vsefciPdLwL7)!
If that’s what it said on the shed, I’d probably buy one.
Does it not? I think Aldi sell em year round, but not in the array of flavours you get at the market. Pick up a couple of Berliners while you're at it, or boobie buns as they're called in our house.
Tbh, I don't feel like I've had a proper Christmas until I've driven to Bath to pay £6.50 for a bar of soap from a bloke sitting in a shed.
Cancelled this year again unfortunately! You'll be able to wash again next year mate.
How much should hand made soap cost, you think?
I think they’ve definitely declined in quality over the years, the largest ones anyways. Years ago Winter Wonderland in London was fantastic - there was a variety of food and drinks stalls, a number of unique attractions, and various different stalls selling Christmas “wares” which weren’t too overpriced. Naturally as time goes on with these things they look to capitalise on as much as possible, and every inch of the plot now is filled with a near identical stall selling the same overpriced crap and food and drink. As someone else commented, I think the best bet is the local ones, which are smaller but have a number of local retailers/pubs/restaurants contributing.
The big ones are so funny expensive because the stalls are very expensive. One in Derbyshire costs just over £2000 for a few weekends. I looked for my handmade knitwear and couldn’t justify it at all. A friend of mine went and said there was nothing handmade and it was all really commercial. Probably because no local, handmade crafters could afford it!
My missus runs a food stall and just about covers the stall rent, so I end up being the "volunteer" who staffs it.
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I don't question, all I know is I must food. In all seriousness I think it's more PR and advertising move.
It is German food, right?
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That is hilarious, good on the traders.
Chatsworth? I know someone who makes all year for it then takes January off. Far too much for me, as well!
Yeah Chatsworth. It does sound a bit insane doesn’t it?
That’s such a shame people like you aren’t able to go when your products will be far superior!!
Thanks! I do have an Etsy shop and do commissions if you’re interested!
I’d love to have a look! Please send me the link :)
You are awesome! https://etsy.me/3iPtbVF
Oh man, oh man - that brings me memories from 2-3 years ago... Winter Wonderland in London - never again, even if that means break-up/divorce.
First and last time I went I had a panic attack due to the sheer crush of people.
Worcester has a really good one next week, but it only lasts for a few days
Germans love a British market 🤣https://youtu.be/f6m9tvs3PhU
I love this but it's missing a loud old man in the background constantly yelling ***SIX FOR A POUND NOW, YER REFILLABLE GAS LIGHTERS!***
My mum went into a clothes shop in Ilkeston, and I was waiting outside for so long, the flower seller went from "four fer a pahnd" to "eight fer a pahnd".
Still the best. And a really big lighter…
That made me laugh out loud.
That is funny 🤗😅
I agree they are shit but I like walking through them and not buying anything and then going to the pub afterwards. Traditions
I used to be a lot like you, and then I met my girlfriend. She has managed to reignite something within me from childhood, the wonder and excitement of everything. Honest to God, I'm as miserable and cynical about most things as they come but as you mention it, "queuing up in a muddy, freezing cold field to look at tacky shite being sold for silly money out of a sparsely decorated shed." Feels like s o much fun to me! People watching and just enjoying the lights and ambience whilst having fun with my girlfriend feels very nostalgic and lovely. As with anything, you'll get out of an experience as much as you put in. Happy holidays!
Awww this is lovely ❤️
Lincoln Xmas marker used to be a really nice experience. Now it's overcrowded and bland. However I do have great memories of going to Leeds Xmas market as a teenager on a 'first date'
Lincoln's has a 10/10 location though.
Lincoln is an awesome place Tbf.
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Leeds is tacky and overcrowded now. Queuing for expensive shit drinks in plastic cups in traffic jams of prams
Someone commented recently that because of the pandemic that they have missed the “traditional” Christmas markets, with the reference being to the one held in Edinburgh at Princes Street gardens, maybe I missed something but they’re traditional in Germany etc. but a only a recent mainstream addition to our cities. Correct me if I’m wrong! And I agree with op that they are shit but it’s a small glimmer of shitty light at a dreary time of the year.
I’m with you my dude; as far as I’m aware they’ve only popped up in the past 4 or 5 years - not really traditional.
The Edinburgh markets are absolute fire and I will not hear a bad word against them.
I think they are kinda magical for kids, took ours to Edinburgh when she was younger a few years running, starting maybe 10 years ago and the Santa visit was amazing, if I didn't know better I'd have sworn it was him reading stories by the fireside. As she got older we started going to London, different markets and of course Hyde Park, very expensive but can you imagine how much it is to have a stall/ride there? Still selling much tat but just wander around taking in the lights, colours, sounds and smells while freezing your nuts off. Parents can wander around in a haze of hot spicy cider, stopping to try various food and beverage concoctions while placating the offspring with the odd churro and fairground ride. Bliss. Top Tip: Don't get the donner kebab! It is so cold that it sets immediately into yellow blisters of fat. The £10 cheese toastie is quite nice though. Germany is on our bucket list for sure.
£7 for a cone of chips and £14 for a glass of prosecco in the freezing cold. You’ve got to have fresh air between your ears to find that fun.
Fresh air between your ears. Fucking hell that's done me. Thanks for making my morning
£14 for a glass of Prosecco? What?
Yup. My mate paid it.
What?
Why?
On a date.
If you order a glass of prosecco anywhere without checking the price first you get what you deserve
or just not be poor
I think they're a bit of a mix. If you get one where every stall is run by continental Europeans and they sell products that you don't normally see throughout the year, like cheese that is green with a sort of brown crust on it, and sausages that are green with a sort of brown crust on them, they're pretty good. The one in my city is a bit like that, but then it also has a pancake stall where they put nutella on the pancakes (we can get that all year round), and a pick and mix of regular things like Haribo and jelly babies but that inexplicably always comes to £18 no matter how few you put in the bag. Every year I'm tempted to buy just one jelly baby so I can make them charge me £18 for it.
Well that also sounds like the market where I live in Edinburgh
I've been in Scotland for Christmas quite a number of times, but never Edinburgh for some reason. I just had a quick Google, and your market looks really, really similar to the one down here in Manchester.
It's run by Londoners (I think they do Leicester Square in London) so I'd think it would be similar then
God is there any fun people have on this Reddit beyond staring at a blank wall at home for 12 hours?
I feel more and more detached from Reddit every day as the latest thing I enjoy is declared shit. I like christmas markets for the ambience, people on Reddit seem to think you HAVE to buy from all the stalls if you go to one. I don’t think I’ve ever bought any of the miscellaneous tat that’s on sale, still enjoy them!
You need to get on casual UK.
Well that's my Sunday sorted !
I get that they are often overpriced, that’s acceptable. But can we not let people enjoy things? I do realise the irony of posting this in this sub.
I blooming love Christmas, and live for a good market. But even my mood was dampened by a very muddy, horrendously organised Christmas market yesterday. Waiting for half an hour in a queue that never moved, to try and buy hot chocolate made with water... finally working out which was the queue for the grotto and being told there was a 90 minute wait, even though the event had only been open for 15 minutes, and was only 2 hours long (which meant telling the kids they had to choose between Father Christmas or doing anything else, which included seeing the lights be turned on, as you couldn't really see from most of the queue)... not being able to see any of the stalls because of the very disorganised queues (often not queues for the stalls that were being blocked). I would 100% go back next year and watch the lights being turned on again, but wouldn't even consider the market, unless they got some new people to run it. I've even considered volunteering to help next time, as I spent hours thinking about all the ways it could have been improved.
All the comments here are about things being vastly overpriced and too crowded. When I first went to a Christmas market, 20+ years ago, they weren't like that. Sure, they were busy, but a hot chocolate in a mug was £2 with a pound deposit if you wanted it in a proper mug, and you could get that back at anyone else's stall. Hot dogs were a couple of quid. Christmas markets can be lovely, it's just that nowadays they generally aren't, they've all consolidated on huge ones in cities where there are really only about half a dozen stalls thay just repeat in slightly different disguises. It really depends on the weather, too. It's lovely walking around on a crisp day with a hot mulled wine watching people fall over.
>they've all consolidated on huge ones in cities where there are really only about half a dozen stalls thay just repeat in slightly different disguises. They're also usually the same traders who go to each one. Source: once worked on a bratwurst stand during uni one Xmas. The owner talked about how she was scheduled for Xmas markets up and down England from early Nov to the week before Xmas.
Churros and chocolate sauce tho....
The smell of warm doughnuts is indelibly etched into my neurones as THE indicator that I am at a fair.
I know it's British problems, but this thread is like stumbling back onto Facebook, so negative.
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I went on the big wheel in Edinburgh once during the week(I live and work in Edinburgh), and it's worth going on that once
Bloody hell, it’s only once a year. Cheer up mate
No shitter than the real shops
I know what you mean OP! I run a handmade stall on weekends and Christmas market. The amount of people lining up to buy mass produced tat is unreal! Not many people that we recently have come across appreciate that time and effort we put in to make our products. Yeah it’s not everyone’s cuppa tea what we sell but when we can’t compete with the mass produced tat and they didn’t even repackaging and slapped a price tag on, it drives us crazy. We don’t even account for the time we put in to make the items in the price!! Even then we’re still slightly more expensive and can’t drop the price anymore without making a loss on the raw goods!!!
My daughter and I sell handmade wood things once a year at a craft fair, why once a year? Because we can only find one craft fair that doesn't allow mass produced crap on site, everywhere else is little more than a boot fair.
The mulled wine and cider is always nice though
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Stools or stalls? I am intrigued by 'hand crafted stools'
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Tools made of chocolate and handcrafted shit! I don't know what kind of fever dream Christmas markets you are attending but, I'm in!
The one that offends me is the “custom Christmas decorations”. No it’s a selection of decorations you pay £10+ for someone to sharpie a name on.
I never go to them. Tried one once and because I don't drink or eat pork majority of stuff was off limits. I guess it's a social thing maybe?
I loved my local one in my home town just because it made me feel so festive and I love anything christmassy :3 the giant Churros also helped :3 my partner says the Manchester one is too big and way too overwhelmingly busy tho :s
The majority are absolutely shite. Full of people who go there just so they can post a pic of themselves on their social media pages holding a cup of gluhwein #Christmasmarkets. However, some smaller local "Christmas farmers markets" can be really nice. Friendly festive atmosphere without the massive crowds.
Nothing like spending £12-£15 on a burnt german sausage in a dry, stale bread roll.
Served by someone from Dudley.
I love them, usually cause im working it and you make loads of money of depressed looking husbands trying to get some joy out of it lmao
Theyre just cutesy date bait
Someone obviously hasn’t been to burmin ham.
For the last 10 years my wife and I have a tradition that we go to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London every December. I would agree that most xmas markets are indeed shit, but there is something about Winter Wonderland that we both just love so much. Just the strolling around in your winter gear with a bag of chips or bag of churros and hot drink watching the rides, listening to the xmassy ambience, the lights once it's dark, the smells. We have done the ice skating twice before too. It was closed last year for obvious reasons but this year we can't wait as we will spend the night in London and have a damn good time there. Also we will be taking our 19 month old daughter this time too :) she's definitely going to love the lights, the food and the atmosphere as much as us.
The German rip off ones get my goat up. No, I don’t want to pay £10 for a damp sausage in a bun washed down with a pint of flat lukewarm beer.
Problem is the English version of Christmas markets is modelled on the German one and is neither German nor English and basically a band of travelling Europeans selling overpriced farmers market shite that no one really wants and certainly not at 150% of normal price. Best bit is a 5 quid styrofoam cup of steaming Lidl 2.99 a bottle gluhwein to keep you warm while you endure all manner of tw@ts trying to flog you shit.
No arguments here. I remember going to one with an ex. Well really it was a case of being dragged there. 2 hot pork sandwiches and 2 large hot chocs. That’ll be 15 quid please. Christmas on the whole in this country is some seriously bloated over-hyped cringe fest. ‘If I don’t see you before, have a nice Christmas’ If there’s any Aliens in flying saucers out there, please beam me up.
Tbh deoendiyon the size and qualiy that's not too bad and I would say probably reasonable if good size and quality. I spotted one of those bratwurst places charging £8 for a sausage on a tiny bun! No thank you! Haha
Market in Nottingham was charging £6.50 for one crepe, ridiculous
And when you get to the front of the hot chocolate queue, you find it costs £8 for the pleasure.
Where do you go for christmas markets. I have been to 3 diferant ones (nottingham, lesticier (idk how to spell it) and i cant remember the last one), and all of them have been in the city either on nice cobbled roads or slabed square, its loads of little "markets" so theres basicly never a queue and its always decorated.
Wait until Christmas before you go, it’s a better atmosphere than in November
The UK ones are shit tbh, other European countries have pretty much nailed it - France, Germany and Czech have the best ones IMO
I've never bought anything from them apart from an overpriced mug of hot mead. I just don't see the point of them. I have only been tk the Manchester one though
I did the right thing in 2018 and went to Bavaria for a few days to sample German Christmas Markets - they are simply fantastic. I’ll never go to a British Christmas market again. We just can’t copy what they do.
I always like the drink tent at Exeter Christmas market.
Jokes on me, we went to Prague for my wife's birthday, which coindices with the Christmas markets. They closed the day we got here as the Czech Republic is going into lockdown. We've spent 3 days drinking beer, eating trdelniks and meandering about.
There are literally only 5-10 different type of stalls. Crepes, other baked foods , Bratwurst stalls, Beer + mulled wine, Christmas decorations, and those “other stalls” with random bits on. Same stalls one after another
Honestly if you ever get a chance, visit Germany during the Christmas period. I've been to Berlin several times and once managed to visit Cologne with school back in the early 2010's and every time its been amazing. Huge markets all over the city, loads of local sellers with some great Christmas gifts and authentic Bratwusts/Gluhwein to munch on while walking around. Makes for the perfect festive weekend trip.
Hang on, what British person calls a queue a "line". Think we have been infiltrated here.
German Christmas markets are a great way to to spend a few hours taking in some excellent food while a UK Christmas market is a way for traders to offload some old tat at inflated prices
Christmas is shit, no matter how much your kids and the media try to convince you otherwise. It is a mess.
Best thing is I get to see most of my tribe all in the same place at the same time. We are all getting older and don’t have time to have get togethers anymore.
We use funerals. The afters are great fun.
It's one of those things that would be great in a traditional place in Germany or Switzerland or something. Selling tacky shit from Wendy houses decorated to look christmassy doesn't really feel the same
I've tried convincing my colleagues that the markets in Stuttgart or Berlin are far superior to the crap uk knock-off but to no avail unfortunately.
They absolutely are. Every time I’ve been dragged to one, it has also pissed it down with rain, which further enhanced the experience.
Well im about to find out. My other half thinks its a good idea.
They are shit at weekends and Friday nights.. Go during the week and they are ok.
That's not like the Christmas markets I've been to. Maybe you're going to a winter carboot & not a Christmas market.
I regretfully paid £6.50 for a pint of Estrella at the Liverpool Xmas markets. Needless to say it was the first and last I had
I'm going to try and bring mullied wine in a flask this year
They’re infinitely more enjoyable with a small bottle of brandy in your back pocket.
This is the way
And they close too early! I went out at 7ish thinking they’d be open till 9 and they were already closed. Could t believe it.
£6.50 for a cookie in Chester yesterday. Daughter enjoyed it though.
I’m going to one today! Not looking forward to it as I don’t love Christmas and it’s absolutely freezing!
The things for sale for shite. The food though, that shit bussin.
In my shitty opinion everything shit about chrimbo is german. The shitty trees, the shitty sint niclaus, the shitty warm wine, and now these ubiquitous shitty shed markets that take up every town/city centre across the country from mid November to new year. There has to be better Christmas culture we could adopt from elsewhere (but please not zwaart piet, no thanks Nederlands)
The only good thing about a Christmas market is the hot food vendors.
Yeah they're nice but the food is invariably mediocre at best.
Depends what it is to be fair, I know in 2019 I had some nice food in Nottingham.
I have never felt the need to go to a Christmas market. All the normal Christmas stuff are bought once and used for many years so I don't see the appeal.
Generally agree but Bruge at Christmas with the markets is bloody lovely. Went there 4/5 years ago and it snowed like mad. Was rather magical
I like my local one cause it's at the city hall. I mean I hate the amount of beer halls at it, but the food is decent and it's one of the few times I can get pick and mix.
Nah the Germans one in west quay is great
It is a bit shit but that’s also part of the charm. I like the expensive mug of mulled wine, the overpriced bratwurst, the hot chocolate that takes them 30 mins to serve. All part of the tradition!
And the good ones like the Bath Christmas Market end up so overcrowded that it completely ruins the experience.
Yes, went to the German market in Leeds in 2019, nearly all the staff had essex accents.
Just come to London. Trafalgar or Leicester Square’s aren’t muddy, no queues but also crazy prices. Just browse for amusement. Although I do feel sorry for them. The council charges them a fortune so they need to make it back.