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Big Wheel in Chester
Chester’s Big Wheel returns again this Year from 8th to 31st December situated behind the Christmas Market.
Lit up by thousands of twinkling lights and with views right along the River Dee, the hills of Wales, the city’s skyscape and out onto the Cheshire plains, this will be a memorable experience you’ll want to repeat again and again.
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Chester Christmas Market
The Christmas Market is always popular for finding gifts and tasty treats. Look out for performances of local groups and community talent in the bandstand. Move inside to Chester Market within the Forum Shopping centre for the best local Christmas produce and more excellent gift ideas. Excluding santa’s grotto, stalls and attractions will remain open to 31st December.
This year the Christmas market will include several local independent traders including fair trade gifts, beautiful ceramics, jewellery, hats, gloves and scarves. Best selling toys will feature and the festive food offer will include Christmas cakes and puddings, mince pies, cheeses, meats, sweets, fine wines as well as the winter warming treats of mulled wine and hot chestnuts. The market also welcomes traders from further a field including the Bethlehem Artisans selling olive wood gift products.
New for this year, towering above the Town Hall Square is a Christmas Toboggan ride and Santa’s Sleigh a nostalgic reminder of fun fairs of old with all the thrills for the young and the young at heart. The 70-ft high fairground slide has a lighthouse design tracing the attraction back to 1953 where it was the centre piece of the Queen’s coronation party in Manchester and through the late 1950s when it stood at Blackpool. In the 1960s it was at Skegness each summer and toured fairgrounds the rest of the year and in the 1970s opened at large street fairs in the north of England.
During the Christmas market a santa’s grotto will be a new addition to the Town Hall Square. Visit Santa in his wonderful Grotto. Tickets cost £4.50
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Christmas Markets in the UK were very popular until Oliver Cromwell banned the celebration of Christmas in the fashion people had become used to and this affected the Christmas Markets which died out instantly. There were of course many markets in Britain during the Victorian era which would sell Christmas related products and foodstuffs in the run-up to Christmas but they were not known as Christmas Markets.
Lincoln in the East of England was the first UK Christmas Market to be revived and from small beginnings is now in its 26th year.
UK Christmas Markets often have continental themes bringing over French, German or Italian traders. There are traditional German markets in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Leeds, London, Glasgow and Oxford..
Christmas Markets in the UK can be found in all sorts of venues ranging from town centres to stately homes. Some happen just over a weekend and others last for six weeks or more.
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Wrexham Victorian Christmas Market
Wrexham’s Christmas market has become one of the most eagerly awaited events in the town’s calendar and attracts shoppers back year after year. December 2011 will see a return to the original Victorian theme and visitors will find around 70 stalls filling Church Street and St Giles' churyard to overflowing in this most picturesque part of the town centre.
Stalls this year will include hand made wooden toys; candles; jewellery; books by local authors; cards; crafts; all sorts of gifts; Christmas decorations; freshly cut trees; pottery and lots of local produce, including pies, cakes, brownies; chocolates, cooked-on-the-spot Welshcakes, local beers and wine jellies, as well as preserves and sauces made from local grown blueberries.
What makes this market really special is that it spills over into the beautiful parish church, which is a real haven of warmth on a cold winter’s evening. There are more stalls inside the church, as well as refreshments, music and carols and many of the 6,000 plus visitors are so captivated by the surroundings that they take an opportunity to just sit and soak up the atmosphere for a while.
The market will be open from 12 noon – 8pm, but why not come early and spend the day in Wrexham? There are many small, independent shops, national brands and restaurants, as well as popular indoor markets and the Eagles Meadow shopping centre, which is full of major national retailers.
Other Christmas dates:
• Thurs 17 November – Christmas lights Switch-on with Andy Scott Lee, Dale Howard, Alison Crawford and other members of the cast from The Stiwt's Cinderella pantomime, as well as Ant and Al from S4C's Stwnsh and some of the team from Calon FM.
• Thurs 1 December – Join the Frosty Lantern Parade and help to welcome Father Christmas to town in his sleigh pulled by Snowdogs. The Grotto will open daily until 12 noon on 24 December.
• Have breakfast with Father Christmas at Wrexham Museum (3 or 17 December) or join him for tea and a story (15 or 20 December).
For further information on events or to find out about lantern making classes, contact the Events Team 01978 667320
For accommodation details contact the Tourist Information Centre 01978 292015
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ERDDIG CHRISTMAS VILLAGE
Experience the excitement and unique atmosphere of a traditional Christmas Market and the Father Christmas Winter Wonderland set within the outbuildings of Erddig.
Wander through the Christmas village with fifty picturesque wooden cabins and stalls selling hand crafted gifts including jewellery, ceramics, clothes, toys, leather work, glass ware and decorations.
Food and drink on sale. Be tempted with hot mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, pastries, sausages, waffles and chocolates.
Plus the magic of seeing Father Christmas in the ice palace grotto. See also the toy workshop with the elves busily making and wrapping presents warmed by a roaring log fire. To avoid disappointment try and arrive early to ensure you get your ticket to see Santa.
See inside the kitchens of the House with the staff preparing for Christmas.
Live music and entertainment.
Horse & Carriage rides available (weather permitting)
Free entry to the Christmas Village
To visit Father Christmas £5 per child
To see the House £2 Adult £1 Child £5 Family ticket (2 adults & 2 children)
Gardens, Restaurant and Shop open as usual.
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The history of Christmas markets dates back to the late middle ages and originates from the German speaking part of Europe. In Germany, the Dresden Christmas market, first held in 1434, is often incorrectly said to be the oldest Christmas market. It attracts between 1.5 and 2 million visitors a year and has over 60 stalls. It is now thought that Dresden is probably not the oldest German Christmas Market, as at that time this city was only a small town in 1434 and other larger cities would have held a German Christmas market. An example of this is Bautzen market, (in Saxony)which was first mentioned in records in 1384 as one of the first German Christmas Markets.
In many towns in Germany the Christian festival of Advent often coincides with the opening of the Christmas market or "Weihnachtsmarkt". In Southern Germany it is also sometimes referred to as a "Christkindel markt", literally meaning "Christ child market". More often than not taking place on the town square, the market sells food and drink from stalls with other seasonal items and traditional singing and dancing.
Popular attractions at most Xmas markets in Germany include a nativity scene not to mention Glühwein, a warm mulled wine (sometimes administered with a shot of brandy), or Eierpunsch (an eggy warm alcoholic drink). Both are excellent antidotes to the cold winter air which often falls below freezing. In most German Xmas Markets the stallholders sell handmade items, toys, books, Christmas tree decorations and ornaments.
Christmas Markets in France otherwise known as marché de noël, provide a great opportunity for winter weekend breaks. They exude a fantastic atmosphere and offer great shopping opportunities but with a Gallic flavour - not to mention replenishing wine stocks for the Christmas season. Our list of markets provides just a cross-section. Most towns and cities host a French Christmas Market at some point between late November and the end of December.
These French Xmas markets include a few in Paris and one in Lille both of which are particularly popular because of the fast Eurostar connection.
French Christmas markets have much to offer the visitor in terms of the varied ambience depending on which part of France they are located. For example Xmas markets in France in the Alsace region have a Teutonic influence because of their proximity to Germany, particularly Strasbourg.
Christmas Markets in Belgium are very popular too. Brussels is served by Eurostar which makes for a quick and painless journey and provides a great opportunity for a winter weekend break. They exude a fantastic atmosphere and offer great shopping opportunities. There are a few notable Belgian Christmas Markets particularly Brussels Winter Wonderland and the Bruges Christmas Market and also a relatively new market in Ypres which is now in its third year. Belgian Xmas markets in or near to Brussels benefit from the rapid Eurostar service.
Christmas Markets in the UK were very popular until Oliver Cromwell banned the celebration of Christmas in the fashion people had become used to and this affected the Christmas Markets which died out instantly. There were of course many markets in Britain during the Victorian era which would sell Christmas related products and foodstuffs in the run-up to Christmas but they were not known as Christmas Markets
Lincoln in the East of England was the first UK Xmas Market to be revived and from small beginnings is now in its 30th year.
UK Christmas Markets often have continental themes bringing over French, German or Italian traders. There are traditional German markets in London, Birmingham, Canterbury and Glasgow.
Xmas Markets in the UK can be found in all sorts of venues ranging from town centres to stately homes. Some happen just over a weekend and others last for six weeks or more.
Many other countries in Europe have also adopted the Christmas Market tradition – these include Krakow in Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Budapest in Hungary and of course the Swiss markets, notable Basle which is particularly popular with German, French and UK visitors.
More details regarding the dates, location and events happening at these markets can be obtained by logging on to www.christmasmarkets.com – useful information such as the location of the markets in relation to the surrounding hotels can also be sought and of course it is possible to book hotel accommodation, tours and flights on the website.
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PRESS RELEASE
Over 906,000 unique visitors accessed
www.christmasmarkets.com last year
to find out more about the Christmas Markets they wanted to visit in 2010
www.christmasmarkets.com
Now into its sixth year www.christmasmarkets.com is still the only directory internet portal providing valuable and comprehensive information about Christmas Markets in the UK and Europe. Visitors to this site will obtain valuable advance information about the various markets in the UK, Germany, France, the rest of Europe and even the USA. 2010 saw a massive increase in visitors to the site with numbers peaking during the month of November when 324,954 visitors were attracted to the site. August 2011 attracted over 69,664 visitors compared with 59,935 in August 2010. Maintaining this trend will mean that the website is on target to achieve over 375,000 visitors in November 2011.
This web site, which lists over 450 markets across the UK, Europe and the USA is extremely user-friendly and informative and even allows the visitor to safely and securely book competitively priced hotel accommodation on-line in the location of the Christmas Market they have chosen to visit. The browsing experience is further enriched by an informative news page. The information used on this page is done so entirely on editorial merit and the publication of the various news stories are not influenced by advertising activity.
Users can book their accommodation on line through a reliable hotel booking portal or alternatively book a short break package through our ATOL and ABTA bonded partner Newmarket Travel.
Regular visitors to www.christmasmarkets.com who have registered their email addresses receive a Newsletters full of useful information. These Newsletters include focuses on German Christmas Markets, Swiss Christmas Markets and Late Availability Breaks to name a few.
The website also runs occasional competitions which during 2010 included a chance to win one of ten National Trust family tickets and a fantastic 5 Star short break in Basel.
Media and journalists are invited to access the media section of the website to obtain images for use in their articles. The Christmas Markets team can also field telephone enquiries and help in providing background information.
Publishers producing articles on Christmas Markets for 2011 are requested to mention the web address www.christmasmarkets.com and suggest that their readers access the site so they can make an informed choice of the Christmas Market they intend to visit during 2011.
For more information please email Frank on
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or phone Ian Jones on +44 (0)20 7193 9404.
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