Christmas coming to the Granite City as market date set

Christmas is still coming to Aberdeen this year as plans have been announced for an indoor festive market.

The market will take place in the Bon Accord Centre and is being spearheaded by Aberdeen Inspired and Charlie House.

Space will be offered to local makers and businesses to sell their products.

The market will be in a retail unit on the lower level of Bon Accord, next to Topshop and behind Costa Coffee.

It will be similar to the Christmas in the Quad events, held at Marischal College as part of the Christmas Village – which was cancelled this year due to Covid-19.

Organisers hope the indoor market will bring some much-needed cheer to the city and help people get into the festive mood.

Adrian Watson, chief e xec utive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “While the festive season won’t be quite the same as previous years for us all, we hope our Aberdeen Christmas Market will bring some much-needed cheer to the city centre during a very difficult time.

“As well as providing a platform for a wide range of fantastic local businesses, we hope this market will also help bring footfall back into the city centre in a safe way and encourage people to think and support local not just in the build-up to Christmas, but all year round and help our local economy. In addition to that, we are pleased to be supporting Charlie House through the market and hope the donations will go some way to help as it too has been affected by a downturn in income.”

Aberdeen Inspired has opened applications for businesses interested in taking a stall and is asking for a set donation to charity partner Charlie House to secure a space.

Craig Stevenson, Bon Accord manager, said: “It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to host Aberdeen’ s Christmas Market at Bon Accord.

“We always look for ways to surprise and delight our visitors and this is no exception.”

Susan Crighton, director of fundraising for Charlie House, added: “At a time when the charity sector is under great pressure from lack of funds, this is fantastic news for both Charlie House and the families we support.

“At the moment the world feels very different and as we adapt to a new kind of normal, having that festive magic and the ability to purchase and support local is wonderful.”

The market will be operating under strict restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It will run Thursday to Sunday from November 26 to December 20. The market will then run from Monday December 21 to Wednesday December 23.

To apply for a stall, visit the Aberdeen Inspired website by October 23.

FESTIVE SPIRIT: The market will be similar to the city’s Christmas in the Quad events. Picture by Kenny Elrick.