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The Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Market is an annual outdoor
Christmas market
A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...
and
craft fair held in central
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The market started in 2001 with 24 stalls and has expanded every year.
It opens in mid November and continues until late December, closing just before
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
.
The Christmas Market and Craft Fair is located in
Centenary Square
Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street in Birmingham, England, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. The area was an industrial area of small workshops and canal wharves ...
,
Chamberlain Square
Chamberlain Square or Chamberlain Place is a public square in central Birmingham, England, named after statesman and notable mayor of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain. The Victorian square was drastically remodelled in the 1970s, with most of th ...
,
New Street, and
Victoria Square.
It is the largest such market outside
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, attracting over 3.1 million visitors in 2010, over 5 million visitors in 2011, almost 5 million visitors in 2013 and over 5.5 million visitors in 2014. German food and drink such as
Bratwurst
Bratwurst () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German ''Brätwurst'', from ''brät-'', finely chopped meat, and ''Wurst'', sausage, although in modern German it is o ...
and
Glühwein
Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is us ...
are available.
On 15 November 2018, after an inspection by Birmingham City Council's
environmental health
Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment affecting human health. In order to effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements that must be met in ...
officials, twenty of the market's food stalls were ordered to improve hygiene .
Two further stalls were summarily closed for failing to display mandatory allergen advice.
When reinspected on 20 November, all the stalls were found to meet the required standards.
From 2018 the market has been kicked off with a performance of
Hosen Brass
Hosen ( he, חֹסֶן, חוסן, ''lit.'' Strength) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Ma'alot-Tarshiha, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
The village was establis ...
down Birmingham's New Street on behalf of
Free Radio Birmingham
Free Radio Birmingham is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Birmingham and the West Midlands.
As of September 2022, the station has ...
before the lights are officially turned on.
The market is affiliated with the
Frankfurt Christmas Market
The Frankfurt Christmas Market (German: ''Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt'') is an annual outdoor Christmas market in central Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany.
The Christmas market opens in late November and continues until just before Christmas (normall ...
in the city of
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
,
one of the oldest such markets in Germany (dating from 1393), hence the name. Birmingham is twinned with Frankfurt.
On 9 September 2020, the organisers of the Christmas market cancelled the 2020 event because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
See also
*
List of Christmas markets
This is a list of Christmas markets from around the world.
Christmas markets are listed using their unique name. The list is ordered by continent and then by country.
Worldwide Christmas markets Europe Austria
*Christkindlmarkt – Innsb ...
References
External
Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Market Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom ...
*
2001 establishments in England
Recurring events established in 2001
Christmas markets in the United Kingdom
Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands
Annual events in England
Events in Birmingham, West Midlands
Economy of Birmingham, West Midlands
Food markets in the United Kingdom
Retail markets in England
Crafts
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