This year I went on a bit of a tour of the Christmas markets in the UK. It was a bit of a birthday treat from my husband, who took me to Manchester, Leeds and York to experience the best festive markets in the north. Here’s my photos from the Christkindel Markt in Leeds and the massive city-centre market in Manchester. I found Leeds to be the cheapest market for food and I enjoyed a massive XL frankfurter (it must have been 20 inches long, and I’m not kidding!) and yummy fresh pretzels.
I’d also previously been to the famous Bury St Edmunds Christmas market in Suffolk (apparently the 4th best in the UK) and I really enjoy that festive market, because it spans the entire town and includes an entertainment stage for local bands, orchestra and school choirs to perform. The live nativity is also a high point of the market – with alpacas, goats and donkeys and more livestock with reindeer beside Santa’s grotto!
I particularly enjoyed York’s christmas market: although it was a lot smaller than the other northern markets, it felt less commercial (you often get very similar stalls time and again at both Manchester and Leeds) and the buildings were painted like Tudor shops with shopkeepers dressed up in Victorian costume, which was a nice touch. I actually bought some craft items from York market, and was pleased that the products were not over-priced just because it was a Christmas market.
I’d recommend a trip to any of these Christmas markets to get you in the festive spirit next year, but I’ll definitely be going to the Bury St Edmunds festive market again and will be trying out the London markets next year!
