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