Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
Stepping out of the train station and heading for the town centre, the Christmas lights lit up the night sky, adding a festive feel to the chilly city as night dropped, many commuters escaping the city for the weekend, whilst tourists flocked in to experience the festive offerings. But this was not Cologne or Brussels. This was the Leeds Christkindelmarkt German Christmas market 2010.
Although I had never been to a ‘real’ Christmas market before, I had a rough idea of what to expect, and in terms of atmosphere, Leeds did not disappoint. Approaching Millennium Square, the smells and sounds of the Christmas market hit us, and we were faced with stalls of fresh doughnuts, gingerbread, stollen cake and other traditional German foods, most offering samples to try before you buy. Further around were gift stalls, encompassing traditional wooden toys that many will remember from childhood, and many jewellery and precious stone stalls, all of which were lovely, although a tad overpriced.
For children (and the young at heart) there were a few fairground rides including a carousel and dodgems. There is also the traditional beer tent, which I am told was housing an Oktoberfest event for the month of November, however despite visiting on a relatively quiet Friday evening, the queue to get into the hut was still too long for us to contemplate joining.
In terms of setting, the traditional wooden huts placed against the backdrop of an illuminated Leeds Civic Hall created a perfect atmosphere; the only thing missing was a sprinkling of snow on the rooftops! The only disappointing thing about this market was the size. Consisting of around 40 stalls, it was possible to look round everything in about 20 minutes, and it probably couldn’t be stretched to longer than 40 minutes, which is good for going around again to buy those things you weren’t sure about the first time. However, on a busy day closer to Christmas with bustling crowds, it will probably take a lot longer to see everything.
Overall, this market is well worth a visit if you’re planning a Christmas shopping trip in Leeds, but probably not worth the journey for the market alone.
I've just come back from the Christmas market and it was so much fun! The queue to get into the beer hut is massively long, but well worth it when you get in. We queued for about an hour, I think, but were in there for about three. It's like a scene from Beowulf, with banquet tables and everyone clasping massive litres of golden beer or blueberry mulled wine and chanting, singing and dancing. Everyone gets very drunk and very happy. First time I've felt Christmassy this year; the atmosphere is amazing. It sounds really cheesy, but it's full of good will - everyone just starts talking to everyone (this process is almost certainly lubricated by the large amounts of alcohol). Well worth a visit, if anyone gets the chance!
You must log in to submit a comment.
Report