Lifestyle: How do the Christmas markets compare?
LEEDS – David Parkin
COMPARING the German Christmas Market in Leeds with its counterparts in Manchester and Birmingham is like comparing the quality of football on offer in the three cities.
Two are definitely Premiership quality – offering hundreds of stalls that snake around the major thoroughfares of the city – and then you have Leeds.
If you’ve never been to the festive markets in Brum and Manc then you’ll probably be quite impressed by the collection of pretty stalls selling seasonal gifts and food in Leeds.
The market in Millennium Square might resemble a shanty town from the outside, but it looks all right inside. Well, as long as you aren’t trapped in the rowdy beer hall after dark, anyway.
But it smacks of a lack of ambition. The markets in Birmingham and Manchester grow every year and are all about promoting the city centre.
The Christmas market in Leeds could be in Briggate or other streets in the city centre, instead it just sits marooned in a square where huge groups of drinkers descend, sending families scurrying home in shock at their antics.
BIRMINGHAM – Andy Coyne
IT’S that time of year when Brummies say to each other “I’ll meet you under-neath the moose’s head”.
The singing moose’s head at the beer stall opposite the city council’s HQ in Victoria Square has become something of an annual institution at Brum’s fa-mous Frankfurt Christmas Market – although it must be said that if you are on a session at this bar its rendition of ‘O Tannebaum’ can grate after the eighth time of hearing.
Birmingham’s Christmas market has gone from strength to stength, starting out 13 years ago with 24 stalls, it is now up to 190 selling food and drink, craft items and gifts.
Centred around Victoria Square, it stretches down New Street to the Bullring and up through Chamberlain Square to Centenary Square and towards the Inter-national Convention Centre (ICC).
It is said to be the largest authentic German market in the world, outside of Germany and Austria. It earns £90m for the city and brings in coach parties of visitors from as far away as Cumbria and Devon.
It is the sheer size of the market and the vibrant atmosphere which means – with apologies to Brian Clough – if it isn’t the UK’s best German market then it’s certainly in the top one.
The market runs until Sunday 22 December.
MANCHESTER – Chris Barry
MANCHESTER claims to have been the first UK city to launch festive markets, and in the last 15 years, it has become a major attraction, generating millions for the tourist economy.
Now spanning nine city centre locations, the Manchester markets comprise more than 300 stalls.
Albert Square, in from of Manchester Town Hall, is the nucleus of the city centre attraction.
In 2012 a record 1.7 million people visited the stalls at Albert Square, an 11% increase on the previous year. Hopes are high for another uplift this year, as the popular Old Windmill House bar has been expanded to two floors for the first time.
At Albert Square, there is food and drink aplenty, and stalls selling items ranging from cheese to babygrows, chocolates to woodcutters and soap to biscuits and fudge.
A magnet for traders from across Europe – as well as the many German sausage and gluhwein stalls, I spotted a Portugese pickle vendor, a Belgian waffle maker and French cheesemonger all within a few yards of each other.
Such is the success of the food and drink vendors that there is a five-year waiting list for the stalls.
According to Manchester City Council the economy was boosted by more than £70m in 2012 due to the Christmas markets alone.
Having originally begun in St Anne’s Square in 1998, the markets had expanded to eight locations by last year.
