Market brings festive cheer to shoppers

Over the past few weeks tourists have flooded to Bath city centre to experience one of the most popular Christmas Markets in the country. Tourists and Bath residents wrapped up in scarfs as they shuffle through the crowds, peering into the wooden huts at trinkets and gifts. Lined up like toy soldiers, the wooden huts guide you through the city’s small streets discovering stall after stall of sights and smells. Vendors shout about spiced mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, the buskers and street performers are out in full force entertaining the passers-by and there is a light dusting of (fake) snow on the ground. From wooden ties to colourful cheeses you can find something for every member of your family and friends at the market, even those who are always awkward to buy for. With 160 stalls to choose from, it’s the perfect place to get all your Christmas shopping done whilst getting in the festive mood. It’s been as busy as ever this year with people buying presents for their loved ones. Chris Duggan, who has run his Christmas Jackdaw lantern stall stall across the country for eight years, has seen a spike in sales this year. He said: “It’s better than last year - sales-wise, not my emotional state of mind! I think last year people were worried about terrorism. “It wasn’t very good in Bath, maybe there was something going on in the economy or people didn’t like lanterns. Last year was a really bad year but people have forgotten about it this year which is good.” Bath Christmas market prides itself on unique and independent businesses and products, such as the beautiful lanterns from Jackdaw or the quirky wooden ties, or bespoke silver jewellery. This kind of positive feedback has led market organisers Visit Bath to talk optimistically about extending it next year to run for longer. Executive chairman Craig Jenkins said: “Given the continued success of Bath Christmas Market we will be looking for an extension of one week in 2019 taking us a little closer to Christmas. “We have seen much more positive support from residents this year as well as Bath and North East Somerset council who see the positive value of the event to the city. “The business community in particular has been actively lobbying for an extension of one week next year, especially given that Bath Christmas Market creates around 700 jobs and brings in an additional £30 million spend to the city at a time when many retailers and hoteliers need the additional support”. Not everyone thinks this year is better though. One vendor who has been selling at the market for six years said that the standards were slipping. Not wanting to be named, they said: “Overall it’s good. It’s always good. Even when it’s bad, it’s still good! But I think the organisation this year has taken a massive dip. “I feel like they are cutting corners at every step… like decor, entertainment, the ambience.” And there are always issues with the large numbers of visitors in the city, with reports of hour-long queues for the park and ride on Friday evening and the usual chaos when the market coincided with Bath Rugby playing at home. Opinions are always divided when it comes to the market, but with it’s popularity ever growing it seems the festive staple is here to stay.