Visiting Southampton's Christmas Market

Where on earth has the time gone? It feels like it was just Halloween last weekend and now it is suddenly December. I’m going home in less than two weeks, which is crazy and also very exciting. November for me is a month where I find myself missing home a bit more than usual and with all the deadlines I have had in the last month it’s been hard to really sit down and actually realise that my favourite holiday is coming up; Christmas!

Originally, I was planning on writing my blog post on the Winchester Christmas market, because from what I’ve heard, Winchester was the place to go around here for a proper German Christmas market. I don’t doubt it and I will definitely be making my way up to Winchester this week (hopefully). However, I ended up visiting the Southampton Christmas Market this weekend.

This year’s market - they are actually calling it a Festival -  is absolutely worth a visit and, like last year, located on Above Bar Street (just outside West Quay). All the Unilink buses stop in a walking distance to it, if you don’t live in the city centre.

 

The only thing missing from this picture is snow

The Christmas market has something for everyone, no matter your age. For example, when I was there on Saturday they did a ‘Flying Santa Show’ which I can imagine was a fun experience for the kids who were there. Yes, Father Christmas was there and he flew over the market! According to my sources he does this twice a day, so it’s well worth a visit. They even have music!

I can see you, Father Christmas!

With the huge number of stallholders this year, I actually had to use Google to find out how many there are! According to Discover Southampton, there are over 40 stallholders this year. So if you are lost for ideas on what to get family and friends for Christmas, you should definitely visit as they sell proper hand-crafted things like jewellery, coffee beans, scarves and some really fancy hot water bottles!

In addition to this they have loads of places where you can get something to eat or drink. We especially liked the German Bar, which could’ve been taken straight out of any skiing facility in Norway! In addition to this, there were loads of places selling traditional Christmas food like ribs and turkey, so don’t worry about getting hungry either. They also had several stands selling candy, gingerbread hearts and other treats if you are in need of something sweet.

In all honesty, you don’t even need to go there to buy anything. It’s well worth a visit just for the experience and the gorgeous lights they have put up. Next on my list over Christmas markets to see in the nearby area is the one in Winchester and New Forest. Fingers crossed I will be able to see them both before I go home.

I hope everyone is starting to get into the festive mood even with all the deadlines everyone has before the holiday start. Fellow blogger Ben shared some lovely tips on spreading Christmas cheer on campus, so thank you, Ben – my housemate and I are now in the process of getting a Christmas jumper each! We might not be bold enough to wear it on campus, but at least we can spread some cheer around the house.

In the meantime between essays, coursework and reports, we are going to bake gingerbread, eat rice porridge and drink mulled wine.

Happy December!

Alexandra