Really? But how will you feel festive without a big curry sausage and a cup of hot wine for the price of £23
National_Leg_9267 on
I tend to find the repetitive and devoid of any real local feel. It’s the seems to be the same overpriced Cadburys hot chocolate stand and German sausages, all while being over crowded
Voodoopulse on
Used to travel to chatsworth one every year, the parking on last go was over 20 quid. Bollocks to that
thejackalreborn on
Some people must like them otherwise they wouldn’t be so popular
Species1139 on
What’s more festive than Pound store tat at extortionate prices…
Maybe spending £9 on a hotdog from a guy who has just pissed in a bottle and not washed his hands.
Merry Christmas
jj198handsy on
>beer – at £12 for a pint
Is that normal in Birmingham?
mr-seamus on
£12 for a bag of ‘festive’ fudge as dry as a nun’s chuff.
AffectionateAioli383 on
They are only good if you have kids. No way i’d go to one out of my own volition. Overpriced beers and absolute tat
martzgregpaul on
Ours is terrible. Its depressing seeing all the same tatt that was rolled out last year.
Tin_OSpam on
The one nearest me is pretty bad. It’s the same stalls, selling the same stuff, in exactly the same positions year after year. Probably three quarters are just local businesses where you can get the same stuff 365 days per year.
TrendyD on
Christmas markets are the classic case of something quaint from elsewhere being exported here for heavy commercial exploitation – the same goes for Oktoberfests.
In Central Europe these markets have history and mean something, in the UK they’re just a shameless cash-grab.
garfunk2021 on
Criticising that Christmas Markets are too commercialised is like moaning that double chocolate is too chocolatey.
Final_Reserve_5048 on
Christmas markets = fun, Christmas markets that have a sole purpose of ripping people off = not fun.
This isn’t hard.
YammyStoob on
Because like everything, they’re all the same, every year now. If I really wanted to go to one, it wouldn;t be one of the tacky ones we have here, I’d go to Germany or Austria and do a proper one.
HelicopterFar1433 on
Events like this are self-selecting. If the trader’s don’t make enough money, they wouldn’t happen. So, if like me, you don’t like them, you aren’t the target audience. Stop moaning and accept that not everything has to be for everyone and, as a general rule, is better if it isn’t.
suffolkbobby65 on
The saying ‘Fools and their money are soon parted’ comes to mind.
BodgeJob23 on
About 10-15 years ago seemed cool and new, now they’re industrial and massively overpriced.
justathrowawaym8y on
Typical case of something fun being ruined by greedy people.
LuinAelin on
I was in town for yours over the weekend. (Would have been in town away)
Yeah wasn’t great this year.
Better_Concert1106 on
I’ve been to a proper German Christmas market in, well, Germany, and it was quite nice (and not that expensive). It also felt more authentic.
The ones here (Bristol is my nearest) always feel quite forced and like some kind of commercialised cash-grab. Literally just overpriced crap and overpriced food and drink at this point.
Ationsoles on
They can be good, but often there’s little difference year to year. My local one in Cardiff has quite a few local stores selling genuine local products. However, after going for 5+ years now, it’s nearly always the same stalls selling exactly the same stuff as the year before.
Far-Squash4072 on
They’re all run by events companies rather than individual stall holders, dreadfully trying to emulate continental european traditional markets. Better off finding a village hall near you with a charity jumble sale, mulled wine made by a little old lady and a tombola.
NSFWaccess1998 on
Sometimes when I feel subby I go to one of these markets to get absolutely shafted and fucked over. Yes £12 pint, take me.
Dangerous-Branch-749 on
The one in Bristol is absolutely shite, much like the surrounding retail area anyway.
RobbieDye-1514 on
Surely not every Christmas Market is the same rip off tat? There must be some “traditional” ones?
Yakitori_Grandslam on
The Telford “Christmas” market always seems to be the least festive thing I’ve ever seen. Pretty much the same wood effect shacks that get brought out most of the year just with tinsel.
Over priced tat, big sausages and nothing remotely different. Last year they had some kiddie fairground rides, and the market was dead. Asked how much it would be for my 5 year old twins to go on the merry go round as they weren’t busy. Was told that I needed to buy each of them a wrist band for £15.
Did not and will not go back.
HH93 on
The cancellation of the Lincoln one was controversial to say the least
But the last few years it was rubbish! Cheap tat stalls and too many people for it to be safe. They had to bring in a one way system and a few out and few in as well.
The early years were just like Koln or Dussledorf that they were modelled on but the genuine German vendors stopped coming due to some food safety laws. Then Brexit of course.
Clive__Warren on
There’s nothing more festive than armed police marching around a Christmas Market, waving assault rifles around. Its an ancient British festive tradition.
FairlyInconsistentRa on
I remember going to Edinburgh Christmas market in 2017. There was a stall selling these metal twirly things. They weren’t cheap.
The exact same metal twirly things were being sold online, new, for a tenner.
Maybe Christmas markets used to be good, and each city had their own unique take on them but now? It’s literally all the same shit. I blame the local councils for wanting to capitalise on the trend and charging extortionate rents. Why bother being unique, or sell something you cant get elsewhere when you’re paying the council heavily for the privilege.
Appropriate_Word_649 on
I’m dreaming of a make believe world that runs more on good will than profit but…
I would love Christmas markets that were all about handcrafted, traditional and seasonal goods. Handmade wreaths, historical meals, grottos for kids etc and at reasonable prices. But who has the money or the time to make that happen?
Would be nice though.
Lumpy_Reference195 on
I recommend Gloucester Christmas Market it’s independent stalls selling goods, and a food court bit. It’s much better than the copy and paste Christmas markets you get everywhere now, the food court is still pretty expensive but it’s not just the standard German style food, plus you’re near all the restaurants so no need to use them if they don’t have anything that interests you
Kharenis on
I generally like my local Christmas market (York), though this year I was a bit shocked by the presence of a Lush store, it should only be small businesses.
EducationalTell9103 on
I love Christmas markets so much, but it makes zero sense trying a £12 hot dog in a huge crowd of people when I could go to Wetherspoons and get a sit down meal also with a drink for under £10.
Might as well hop over to Vienna if you want a nice Christmas market. Food is half price compared to the UK. Lucky Austrians, their salaries are higher than ours too.
stinkybumbum on
It’s like a chain of “independent” stalls at every single market. One with cheap jewelry for £10, another with gloves and scarfs with baby knitted jackets. Another with those hanging twirly things, next door hand painted ornaments that look shit, then the sausage and mulled wine for £15 etc etc.
They are bollocks and nothing like the proper markets, which is why I don’t bother with them now
ZookeepergameOk2759 on
Same three or four overpriced stalls repeated over and over again,there’s nothing “Christmas market “ about them.
Aggravating-Curve755 on
They were nicer a couple of years ago when they were run by people selling proper bratwursts and whatnot. Now it’s full of people that are clearly not German heritage, selling aldis own hot dogs for £15+ a go on a stale bun.
Pandita666 on
The ones in Austria are great and feel historic and authentic – ours are bored minimum wagers handing out heated up mass produced ‘mulled wine’ or semi disguised burger wagons selling their ‘bratwurst’ 500% higher than when it’s just a hotdog the next week.
TheDarkWarriorBlake on
They’re a very nice idea, undone by the typical Christmas movie themes of greed and avarice without a hero to warm the villain’s cold heart at the end.
peelyon85 on
I’d love to go but can’t justify the spend. Is it tacky? Yup. But God forbid some people do something different and get money into the economy.
Violet351 on
The village I grew up in have one but it’s only one day and a lot of the sellers are small local businesses. Some of the stuff is gifts but there’s also cheeses and bread and food stall and music and Morris dancers. The entire high street is shut and they have the more delicate stuff in the village hall and the harder just off the high street has stuff in too. It’s a great time and one of the biggest days for the village. Other ones I have been too have been a bit rubbish
sambxiv on
I book off all Friday & Saturday shifts in November and December just so I don’t have to deal with the people who over do it at the Christmas markets.
Heavens_Vibe on
Like most things in the UK, the experience is soured by its cost.
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park just feels like an empty soulless husk of a place these days…
Away_Swim1967 on
I’ve been to one in Berlin, and they’re so much better over there. I won’t go to another here, they’re just overpriced tat.
shark-with-a-horn on
I wouldn’t intentionally travel for one but as something easy to do after work in winter they can be quite fun.
I guess it’s city dependant but there are plenty of local vendors in amongst the repetitive franchise ones that people complain about.
AstraofCaerbannog on
Honestly it’s not just the markets. It’s Christmas in general. It starts way too early, and it’s just being milked for all it’s worth. I know I’m an adult so the magic does die a bit, but I miss the Christmas from my teens where it felt very much contained in December. A little spread into November. It’s started spreading to August now. That’s just not ok.
I was always a bit meh about Christmas markets. I really enjoy the vibe, it’s pretty and feels wintery. But the stalls have never been particularly great. Overpriced tat, and not anything you couldn’t normally buy for cheaper. And they just get crazily busy and take up portions of town centres.
brothhead on
£8 last year for a small bag of pork scratchings at York market £12 for mince pie
gizmostrumpet on
Just like cinemas and nightclubs, let’s get rid of them so we can spend more time at home. As an introvert walking through the Christmas market triggers my self-diagnosed anxiety and I’m worried there’s still people not masking.
47 Comments
Really? But how will you feel festive without a big curry sausage and a cup of hot wine for the price of £23
I tend to find the repetitive and devoid of any real local feel. It’s the seems to be the same overpriced Cadburys hot chocolate stand and German sausages, all while being over crowded
Used to travel to chatsworth one every year, the parking on last go was over 20 quid. Bollocks to that
Some people must like them otherwise they wouldn’t be so popular
What’s more festive than Pound store tat at extortionate prices…
Maybe spending £9 on a hotdog from a guy who has just pissed in a bottle and not washed his hands.
Merry Christmas
>beer – at £12 for a pint
Is that normal in Birmingham?
£12 for a bag of ‘festive’ fudge as dry as a nun’s chuff.
They are only good if you have kids. No way i’d go to one out of my own volition. Overpriced beers and absolute tat
Ours is terrible. Its depressing seeing all the same tatt that was rolled out last year.
The one nearest me is pretty bad. It’s the same stalls, selling the same stuff, in exactly the same positions year after year. Probably three quarters are just local businesses where you can get the same stuff 365 days per year.
Christmas markets are the classic case of something quaint from elsewhere being exported here for heavy commercial exploitation – the same goes for Oktoberfests.
In Central Europe these markets have history and mean something, in the UK they’re just a shameless cash-grab.
Criticising that Christmas Markets are too commercialised is like moaning that double chocolate is too chocolatey.
Christmas markets = fun, Christmas markets that have a sole purpose of ripping people off = not fun.
This isn’t hard.
Because like everything, they’re all the same, every year now. If I really wanted to go to one, it wouldn;t be one of the tacky ones we have here, I’d go to Germany or Austria and do a proper one.
Events like this are self-selecting. If the trader’s don’t make enough money, they wouldn’t happen. So, if like me, you don’t like them, you aren’t the target audience. Stop moaning and accept that not everything has to be for everyone and, as a general rule, is better if it isn’t.
The saying ‘Fools and their money are soon parted’ comes to mind.
About 10-15 years ago seemed cool and new, now they’re industrial and massively overpriced.
Typical case of something fun being ruined by greedy people.
I was in town for yours over the weekend. (Would have been in town away)
Yeah wasn’t great this year.
I’ve been to a proper German Christmas market in, well, Germany, and it was quite nice (and not that expensive). It also felt more authentic.
The ones here (Bristol is my nearest) always feel quite forced and like some kind of commercialised cash-grab. Literally just overpriced crap and overpriced food and drink at this point.
They can be good, but often there’s little difference year to year. My local one in Cardiff has quite a few local stores selling genuine local products. However, after going for 5+ years now, it’s nearly always the same stalls selling exactly the same stuff as the year before.
They’re all run by events companies rather than individual stall holders, dreadfully trying to emulate continental european traditional markets. Better off finding a village hall near you with a charity jumble sale, mulled wine made by a little old lady and a tombola.
Sometimes when I feel subby I go to one of these markets to get absolutely shafted and fucked over. Yes £12 pint, take me.
The one in Bristol is absolutely shite, much like the surrounding retail area anyway.
Surely not every Christmas Market is the same rip off tat? There must be some “traditional” ones?
The Telford “Christmas” market always seems to be the least festive thing I’ve ever seen. Pretty much the same wood effect shacks that get brought out most of the year just with tinsel.
Over priced tat, big sausages and nothing remotely different. Last year they had some kiddie fairground rides, and the market was dead. Asked how much it would be for my 5 year old twins to go on the merry go round as they weren’t busy. Was told that I needed to buy each of them a wrist band for £15.
Did not and will not go back.
The cancellation of the Lincoln one was controversial to say the least
But the last few years it was rubbish! Cheap tat stalls and too many people for it to be safe. They had to bring in a one way system and a few out and few in as well.
The early years were just like Koln or Dussledorf that they were modelled on but the genuine German vendors stopped coming due to some food safety laws. Then Brexit of course.
There’s nothing more festive than armed police marching around a Christmas Market, waving assault rifles around. Its an ancient British festive tradition.
I remember going to Edinburgh Christmas market in 2017. There was a stall selling these metal twirly things. They weren’t cheap.
The exact same metal twirly things were being sold online, new, for a tenner.
Maybe Christmas markets used to be good, and each city had their own unique take on them but now? It’s literally all the same shit. I blame the local councils for wanting to capitalise on the trend and charging extortionate rents. Why bother being unique, or sell something you cant get elsewhere when you’re paying the council heavily for the privilege.
I’m dreaming of a make believe world that runs more on good will than profit but…
I would love Christmas markets that were all about handcrafted, traditional and seasonal goods. Handmade wreaths, historical meals, grottos for kids etc and at reasonable prices. But who has the money or the time to make that happen?
Would be nice though.
I recommend Gloucester Christmas Market it’s independent stalls selling goods, and a food court bit. It’s much better than the copy and paste Christmas markets you get everywhere now, the food court is still pretty expensive but it’s not just the standard German style food, plus you’re near all the restaurants so no need to use them if they don’t have anything that interests you
I generally like my local Christmas market (York), though this year I was a bit shocked by the presence of a Lush store, it should only be small businesses.
I love Christmas markets so much, but it makes zero sense trying a £12 hot dog in a huge crowd of people when I could go to Wetherspoons and get a sit down meal also with a drink for under £10.
Might as well hop over to Vienna if you want a nice Christmas market. Food is half price compared to the UK. Lucky Austrians, their salaries are higher than ours too.
It’s like a chain of “independent” stalls at every single market. One with cheap jewelry for £10, another with gloves and scarfs with baby knitted jackets. Another with those hanging twirly things, next door hand painted ornaments that look shit, then the sausage and mulled wine for £15 etc etc.
They are bollocks and nothing like the proper markets, which is why I don’t bother with them now
Same three or four overpriced stalls repeated over and over again,there’s nothing “Christmas market “ about them.
They were nicer a couple of years ago when they were run by people selling proper bratwursts and whatnot. Now it’s full of people that are clearly not German heritage, selling aldis own hot dogs for £15+ a go on a stale bun.
The ones in Austria are great and feel historic and authentic – ours are bored minimum wagers handing out heated up mass produced ‘mulled wine’ or semi disguised burger wagons selling their ‘bratwurst’ 500% higher than when it’s just a hotdog the next week.
They’re a very nice idea, undone by the typical Christmas movie themes of greed and avarice without a hero to warm the villain’s cold heart at the end.
I’d love to go but can’t justify the spend. Is it tacky? Yup. But God forbid some people do something different and get money into the economy.
The village I grew up in have one but it’s only one day and a lot of the sellers are small local businesses. Some of the stuff is gifts but there’s also cheeses and bread and food stall and music and Morris dancers. The entire high street is shut and they have the more delicate stuff in the village hall and the harder just off the high street has stuff in too. It’s a great time and one of the biggest days for the village. Other ones I have been too have been a bit rubbish
I book off all Friday & Saturday shifts in November and December just so I don’t have to deal with the people who over do it at the Christmas markets.
Like most things in the UK, the experience is soured by its cost.
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park just feels like an empty soulless husk of a place these days…
I’ve been to one in Berlin, and they’re so much better over there. I won’t go to another here, they’re just overpriced tat.
I wouldn’t intentionally travel for one but as something easy to do after work in winter they can be quite fun.
I guess it’s city dependant but there are plenty of local vendors in amongst the repetitive franchise ones that people complain about.
Honestly it’s not just the markets. It’s Christmas in general. It starts way too early, and it’s just being milked for all it’s worth. I know I’m an adult so the magic does die a bit, but I miss the Christmas from my teens where it felt very much contained in December. A little spread into November. It’s started spreading to August now. That’s just not ok.
I was always a bit meh about Christmas markets. I really enjoy the vibe, it’s pretty and feels wintery. But the stalls have never been particularly great. Overpriced tat, and not anything you couldn’t normally buy for cheaper. And they just get crazily busy and take up portions of town centres.
£8 last year for a small bag of pork scratchings at York market £12 for mince pie
Just like cinemas and nightclubs, let’s get rid of them so we can spend more time at home. As an introvert walking through the Christmas market triggers my self-diagnosed anxiety and I’m worried there’s still people not masking.