I’ve found the cheapest Christmas market in the UK: with quaint stalls, bargain food and hardly any crowds
We all love a Christmas market to get us in the festive spirit, but it can be a bit much if you’re left feeling like a trip to Germany would be cheaper than a UK city centre day out or staycay.
If you’re not a fan of overpriced beer and bratwurst alongside stalls full of expensive tat, I found the perfect Christmas market with lots of added extras for next to nothing.
It’s the first year that Leicester has run a seasonal market, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this new kid on the block seems to be ticking all the right boxes for festive fun at fair prices.
The wooden chalets near the clock tower, with a 15m tree from Kielder Forest in Northumberland as a focal point, were selling a good range of gifts and winter winners like scarves, gloves, ornaments and artisan cheese.
There was a happy bustle about the place on its opening weekend, with lots of shoppers snapping up bargains at the wooden craft stall and others saying they would be back on payday to buy more goodies.
It reminded me of the early days of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market two decades ago, when it was mainly artisan stalls selling all sorts of lovely trinkets at sensible prices and not just all about fleecing folk with food and drink.
Last time I went to Brum to visit the largest authentic German market in the UK, the only bits I rated were the craft stalls around the cathedral.
I’m hopeful that Leicester can give some of the bigger Christmas markets a run for their money if it can build on a successful first year and keep going in the right direction.
As soon as you add the words German and Christmas market together, the prices seem to shoot through the roof, so it’s probably for the best that Leicester is billing its offering as an executive market, with a wider range of refreshments, including filled Yorkshire puddings and pulled pork cobs for £6 or £7 each.
I will warn you that you won’t get a full day out wandering around the Leicester stalls as the market is currently a bit bijou for that and I didn’t spot a stall selling alcohol if you fancy an alfresco drink to get you in the festive mood.
But that’s not too much of a problem as there’s plenty of other Yuletide attractions within the city centre itself, so you can easily browse a few stalls, enjoy the kiddie fairground rides, head to the big wheel and ice rink or even visit Abbey Park for its illuminated light trail.
None of these activities will break the bank, as the fairground rides are £2.50 a go, the big wheel is £5 for a child and £7 for an adult, ice skating starts at £7 per person and the light trail is from £9 a child and £12.50 per adult.
If you use discount sites like Wowcher, you can even slash the price of some of these activities to save a bit of cash.
My top tip if you’re out and about in Leicester is to check out the little gem that is the Guildhall in the cathedral quarter.
It’s open every day from 11am to 4.30pm and throughout December, it’s got loads of seasonal activities, including festive films like the Muppets Christmas Carol, visits from Santa, carol concerts and even its own craft market.
The centuries-old building sits in between Leicester’s Christmas market and the ice rink, so you can pop in on your way between the two.
Next door is the recently reopened cathedral where the body of Richard III was interred a decade ago after being discovered under a council car park nearby. If you fancy a candle-lit carol service, that’s the place to be.
Leicester’s permanent marketplace, where Gary Lineker helped on his dad’s stall, is currently behind hoarding while it’s being redeveloped, so the Christmas market round the corner is definitely a welcome addition to the city’s streets.
It’s a Midlands miracle to find a merry market with pocket-pleasing price tags.
Five other Christmas markets to visit this December
YORK’S market is transformed into a colourful wonderland, with 75 decorated alpine chalets selling local crafts and gifts. Runs until December 22.
Also visit Yorkshire Yuletide Village in The Guildhall from December 3-20, for jewellery, art, textiles, soaps and ceramics. See visityork.org.
Have a glass of gluhwein while listening to live music in Chester. More than 80 market stalls, selling produce surround the giant tree.
Runs until December 22. Pop into the medieval cathedral before January 5 to see more decorated firs. See visitchester.com.
With its lit-up fort, Pembroke Castle’s market in Wales is beautiful. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, it runs for three days from November 29.
Besides 80 stalls, there will be carol singers and musicians – and Santa arrives on the Friday. See pembrokecastle.co.uk.
Canterbury cathedral first hosted a Christmas market in its Kent grounds in 1383 – and now it’s back.
There will be wooden stalls, food and drink outlets, a carousel and live music. Runs until December 24. See canterbury-cathedral.org.
Manchester attracts millions of people to its markets in nine locations, including St Ann’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens, until December 22. Stalls in Cathedral Gardens are open until December 31. See visitmanchester.com.