Chris Williams takes a look at some of the Christmas markets you can enjoy this Yuletide season.
It’s that time of year again, the time to purchase artisan food and crafts from one of the many Christmas Markets around Wales.
Cardiff’s Christmas Market is one of the city’s festive highlights. Over 80 quaint wooden stalls housing 190 traders over 44 days, selling food and drink gifts that are essential for Christmas, including jams, chillies, chutneys, pickles and cheeses, as well as craft beers, ciders and wines. Apart from gifts, you can also find stalls to sustain you while you shop with world food including Nigerian cuisine, Indian food and snacks, freshly made churros and hot roasted nuts. As well as the food and drink, you can also expect to find a wide variety of crafts, ranging from candles and ceramics to textiles and woodwork.
Also in Cardiff, there’s Chapter Arts Centre’s annual Festive Food Fair, where you can pick up Christmas treats from a showcase of the best local Welsh produce.
Swansea has a Christmas market to rival Cardiff, with a Waterfront Wonderland too, as the popular wooden chalets make a welcome return to the city’s Oxford Street. Joining the popular German Swing Grill this year are a Christmas Bar and Christmas Confectionary area. The kids can also visit Father Christmas. This year he’s in residence in his grotto at Swansea Christmas Market.
Two weeks before the big day is the Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair, featuring exhibitors from Wales, the Marches and further afield. With 90 stalls across four venues, they offer fresh and cured meats, poultry and game, cheeses and chocolates, cakes and desserts, wines and liqueurs, ales, ciders etc. – i.e. everything you need for a festive feast.
Famous for the Big Cheese, Caerphilly offers the sights and sounds of a castle town preparing for Christmas, with funfair rides, street theatre, not to mention a medieval twist to the event inside the castle, as well as separate farmers’ market and craft fayre. With over 100 food, craft and gift stalls, this is a Christmas market for everyone.
Cardiff Christmas Market, Cardiff City Centre. Until Fri 23 Dec. Info: www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com; Chapter Christmas Food Fair, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. Sun 18 Dec. Info: 029 2030 4400 / www.chapter.org; Swansea Christmas Market, Oxford St. Until Wed 21 Dec. Info: www.swanseachristmas.com; Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair. Sun 11 Dec. Tickets: £5. Info: www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com; Caerphilly Christmas Market. Sat 10 + Sun 11 Dec. Info: www.caerphilly.gov.uk