Let the festivities begin – Birmingham gears up for biggest ever Christmas
BIRMINGHAM is gearing up for its annual Christmas festivities with the launch of its popular Frankfurt Christmas Market.
The event is a major money-spinner for the city attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and boosting the tourist economy by around £100m.
Visit Birmingham, the city’s official tourism agency, has said it is confident that this year’s event could attract a record number of seasonal visitors.
This is in spite of the market being slightly reduced in size because of the work taking place on the Paradise redevelopment. To compensate for this, the market will run until December 29, the longest-span in the event’s history.
Visit Birmingham has aligned itself with city partners and stakeholders Retail Birmingham and London Midland to in a new campaign, entitled ‘Christmas is Bigger in Birmingham’.
The campaign is being supported by creative agency Saatchi Masius, which is spearheading an adjacent multimedia campaign to showcase the breadth of Birmingham’s retail, culinary and cultural visitor offer.
Emma Gray, Director of Marketing and Communications at inward investment agency, Visit Birmingham, said: “Each year, Birmingham’s show-stopping festive offer boosts the region’s visitor economy as it draws interest not just domestically but from across the world. Working in collaboration with partners throughout the city, our campaign aims to capitalise on this interest, capturing the imagination of potential visitors far and wide.”
Besides the market, the city’s other festive highlights include the production of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome (November 25 – December 13), the return of Ice Skate Birmingham and the Big Wheel to Centenary Square and the most elaborate luxury retail offer outside London with special displays by Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Debenhams and John Lewis.
“The city’s unique combination of attractions and venues make Birmingham a firm family-favourite over the holiday period,” added Ms Gray.
“Our Christmas market is the biggest outside Germany and Austria, whilst the neighbouring ice skate ring and illuminated Birmingham Big Wheel transform the city into a true Winter Wonderland. There’s no better place for a festive break with Christmas so much bigger in Birmingham.”
Jonathan Cheetham, chair of Retail Birmingham, added: “Birmingham is a fabulous destination for Christmas shopping. With five department stores, plus Grand Central, the Bullring and The Mailbox and over 100 independents, there’s something for everyone when looking for presents.
“This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Frankfurt-Birmingham partnership. The collaboration between both cities has resulted in numerous joint projects and initiatives over the years, including the world-renowned annual Christmas markets hosted in Birmingham since 2000.”
