We tour the UK's Christmas Markets 2024

National World - LocalTV

We go round the country looking at the Christmas markets around the regions.

Transcript

00:00Christmas is right around the corner. Stockings are going up. Those old classics are playing

00:12on the radio, and everyone is waiting to see if it's going to be a white Christmas, or

00:16if it's just going to be another wet one as usual.

00:19There's so much to do in each and every one of our regions, so we thought we'd give

00:22you a little taste of what to expect in the towns and cities near you.

00:27Our reporters have been getting into the festive spirit up and down the country, taking a look

00:31at the Christmas markets around the regions. We've got Emma taking the train around Bristol's

00:35Christmas market, meeting stallholders and checking out handmade Christmas products.

00:40Ellie's getting some Santa stories and going to elf school in Newcastle.

00:44George investigates the music, foods and ice rink at Leeds' market, while Emily is doing

00:49laps of the Liverpool market, eating Polish hot dogs and enjoying the Ferris wheel.

00:55First off though, let's see how Emma got on in Bristol.

01:03Welcome aboard. I am here on the Christmas Express train, right in the centre of Bristol's

01:08Christmas market. Let's chat to their team to find out more. Bye!

01:14So we're at Bristol Christmas market and we're upstairs in the Jagerbahn bar today.

01:18Okay, so Bristol Christmas market is a focal point for people of Bristol. Every year we're

01:23here from the first week of November right through to the 23rd of December. We've got

01:28over 35 stalls selling all sorts of gifts and ideas for friends and family, from homemade,

01:36handmade jewellery right up to light fittings, art. Then we've also got a number of food

01:41stalls as well, selling some fantastic Christmas treats to enjoy here at the market or to take

01:45home for loved ones as well. We've also got a number of bars as well, so we're in the

01:50Jagerbahn bar at the moment.

01:52Tell me about the premise of this stall then and this shop.

01:55Yes, so Pryor Shop is all about bringing back shops from yesteryear basically, so handmade

02:02products by local people and really good quality.

02:06We're really, really pleased that we get quite a lot of people who want to come back every

02:11year because they see Bristol Christmas market as a fantastic opportunity for them to increase

02:16their trade. We have application forms and we're usually full up by April or May the

02:22year before. We've got a mixture of local businesses as well as some national businesses

02:29who may be at other Christmas markets as well. For example, we've got O'Donnell's Moonshine

02:33here this year. Again, they've got a store in Cabot Circus, so they use the Bristol Christmas

02:38market really as a way of reaching customers who may not see their product usually.

02:43You're a local business, right? So what do you think it means to you guys to come and

02:47have a stall at one of the biggest events in the city at Christmas?

02:52It's just an incredible place to be. There's so many new people coming in and out all the

02:55time and we've got so many different types of products, not just on the stall here at

03:00the market, but in the two shops that we've got around the corner. It's just a really

03:04great opportunity to get our products out there and show people that handmade, good

03:11quality things, locally made as well, can be found in the middle of a commercial corporate

03:18shopping centre. We're the only shop that is independent, locally and handmade right

03:25in the middle of all the big corporates.

03:27So we've got ski gondolas here, which have been used previously in some of Europe's top

03:30ski resorts. So customers can book a gondola, their own personal gondola, for 90 minutes

03:35and we can serve them nice warming drinks in there for them. We've also got this year

03:40our escape room called the Candy Factory, which is situated just outside the Jaeger

03:44Bahn Bar. We've also got a train ride this year as well, which is new for us, so that's

03:49been really popular.

03:50This is our first year here, so it's all a bit unknown for us, but everyone else has

03:54been here, well a lot of other people have been here for many years and it's an incredible

04:00community.

04:01Well, that's certainly a detailed journey around the Bristol market with Emma. Let's

04:09see how Ellie's getting on in Newcastle and whether she made it onto Santa's naughty or

04:13nice list.

04:14We're at Newcastle's Christmas Markets and we're in the brand new part of it, Newcastle's

04:20Christmas Village, which has taken over Old Elm Square from today until the 22nd of December

04:25and it's got a host of family activities added to the stalls around the monument. You might

04:30be able to hear a carousel in the background, so we have a glorious carousel, I think it's

04:33from the 1890s, so it's a real vintage one. We have Santa's Stories, which is over to

04:37my right, which is a Santa storytelling experience with the elves and Mrs Claus, and then in

04:43the other corner we have something called the Elf Workshop, where you can go to elf

04:46school and get your certificate and be certified as a naughty or nice child. And we have the

04:51Rock and Reindeer Stage, where people will find performances, Christmas screenings and

04:55all sorts of other pop-ups throughout the next six weeks.

05:00The Christmas experience is extended through Old Elm Square, Grey Street and Granger Street,

05:04stalled alongside the returning Alpine-inspired bar. Due to popular demand, the area around

05:08the monument is filled with market stalls and is the host to the city's very own North

05:12Pole, a brand new attraction for 2024, with unique igloo pods raised above the stalls.

05:17I'm calling it the best view in the city, but I think if you get up there and you have

05:21a look, the view down Grey Street, around Granger Street, seeing everyone coming and

05:25going while being protected in your nice cosy dome, people bringing you food and drinks,

05:31it feels like it's going to be the Christmas party destination of choice hopefully this

05:34year.

05:35The sort of street food and the experience of coming in and trying something new and

05:38maybe something festive, so we've got some food traders over here in Old Elm Square who

05:42a lot of people will recognise, people like Geordie Bangers, Acropolis, you know all the

05:46sort of favourites that people look for. So it's a project that anyone in Newcastle City

05:50Council work on together and we have done for the last few years. This year we've also

05:54worked with a company called Event Inspirations and they're behind a lot of the new items.

05:59So they came on board in April time and we're going to be working with them for a few years.

06:02So it's so important to the city that I think it's essential that Newcastle City Council

06:07prioritise it as they have been doing and we do the same. I think it's such a huge opportunity

06:12to have a bumper six week spell before Christmas for businesses here.

06:18Thank you Ali, that certainly looks like a fun time. I can't think of a better way to

06:22spend a Christmas than having Mrs Claus read stories.

06:26These might not have story time but George got down to the ice cube for a spot of skating.

06:34It's definitely looking a lot like Christmas in Leeds City Centre as the Christmas markets

06:39are in City Square and Millennium Square this year, with festivities also to be found in

06:43Victoria Gardens. Around 80 local, national and international traders can be discovered

06:49along with pop-up musical performances, Christmas food and drink, seasonal outdoor bars and

06:54handcrafted goods. Millennium Square is home to the Ice Cube at Christmas with its covered

07:00ice skating rink among the attractions and the carousel and ferris wheel have also returned.

07:05The Little Bird artisan market flies into town each weekend on Bond Court and we can

07:10now hear from some of those soaking up the seasonal shenanigans.

07:14What I'm looking forward to is actually the big tower with the spinny seats on it. We're

07:21quite happy going up there seeing the view of Leeds. Beautiful Christmas lights. I must

07:26admit this year's Christmas lights in Leeds is a lot better than last year.

07:30We're really enjoying it so far. There's even some fake snow at the Ice Cube. We're students

07:36in Leeds so this is our first Christmas in Leeds and we're loving it so far. Very nice.

07:42It's really nice. We were on the games and we had a lot of fun and you can take photos

07:47from up there and it looks really pretty. And the hot chocolate's amazing too. I agree.

07:52We got a German hot dog and it was amazing and we're looking forward to seeing the Christmas

07:57lights. It's our first time. Our first time but we love it.

08:02The City Square market runs until the 22nd of December and the Ice Cube ice rink, stores

08:07and attractions run until New Year's Eve. I've been in Leeds for 10 years now and I

08:12think it's a beautiful city. It's a growing city. It's a lot busier now that we've got

08:17loads more students in the city. But no, it's a wonderful place to be at Christmas because

08:23it's lively. You can be here in Millennium Square, you can be outside the train station,

08:29you can be outside the Radisson Bleu and it's all happening.

08:33Viewing the lights from the carousel with George's Goddess right into the Christmas

08:36spirit and Leeds looks fabulous by the twinkle of fairy lights.

08:41Emily's in Liverpool for us though, where the market has a ferris wheel.

08:45A merry mix of festive food, crafts and wintry fairground rides is an offer for visitors

08:53to Liverpool Christmas Market. Let's go and check it out.

08:57When Liverpool's Christmas Market opens, it is officially the countdown to Christmas and

09:01with the backdrop of St George's Hall, it is one of the most stunning festive experiences

09:07around. And although it was busy, there was next to no queuing to get food and drink.

09:13I don't know if anyone else does this, but whenever I'm at any kind of food market, I

09:17have to do a full lap and decide what I want before I can fully commit. Now, this may not

09:23seem like the most Christmassy thing, but I've gone for a kielbasa, a big Polish sausage.

09:31I tend to like to get the things that I can't usually get. So I know that the Yorkshire

09:37Pud and Rye might be something people might get, but this is what really tickled my fancy

09:42today. It's got onions and cheese and I put a bit of mustard on top, but you get whatever

09:47sauce you like. Let's dig in. That's delicious.

09:56As well as all the food on offer, there are craft and gift traders offering jewellery,

10:00glass blown tree ornaments, woolen wares and much more. The market is once again spread

10:06in a U-shaped formation around the iconic St. George's Hall, creating a really festive

10:11atmosphere at the gateway to the city centre. You can't miss it once walking out of Lime

10:16Street with its giant Ferris wheel, vintage carousel and brightly coloured Santa land.

10:21Now, the cobbled paving can be challenging, though I did see several pushchairs being

10:25used and people using wheelchairs. Organisers have tried to make it as accessible as possible,

10:31using dropped curbs and ramps where possible and expanding the market to incorporate St.

10:37John's Gardens, which is not cobbled.

10:40As well as tons of food options, there are of course a lot of drink options if you want

10:45a soft drink or something alcoholic. As it's coming up to Christmas, I'm at the Christmas

10:50market. I've gone for a mulled wine. Delicious. It's hot, but it is good and it's definitely

10:59going to warm my cockles. Whether you are grabbing a mulled wine or a hot chocolate,

11:04there are a few bars to choose from, both indoor and outdoor, for that changeable winter

11:09weather. There's also hot chocolate, just regular and boozy. So, my partner's got this,

11:17I'm going to try this. Oh, that is good. For many, coming to a Christmas market here in

11:26Liverpool or elsewhere has become a yearly tradition. And whether you're meeting friends,

11:30grabbing some stocking fillers or just soaking up the atmosphere, it really does signal the

11:35start of the most wonderful time of the year. Liverpool's Christmas markets open at 11am

11:41each day, closing at 10pm right through until Christmas Eve.

11:46Well, that whistle-stop tour around the country certainly has us feeling festive. Maybe it's

11:51consider jingling your bells at your town or city's Christmas market too.

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