The Christmas market is one of the most popular places in Cardiff during Christmas.
If you come to Cardiff in Christmas for the first time, a place you cannot miss is the Cardiff Christmas Market.
There is a Christmas market in Cardiff every year. This year, the market starts from 12th November to 23rd December. From Monday to Saturday the trading time is 10am to 6pm, while ends at 5pm on Sunday. Outdoor bars will open later every night.
Folk Craft Area
Walking in the heart of Cardiff’s pedestrian shopping area, you can see several rolls of wooden stalls in the middle of the streets.
Covered with colorful lights and Christmas decorations, together with soft light inside, the stalls create a lively and cozy atmosphere of Christmas.There are balms, glasses, accessories, wine, wooden crafts, cupcake and so on in the stalls, most of which are handmade.
The raging epidemic makes this Christmas different and difficult. The lockdown of Wales ended in 9th November, and the first weekend of the Christmas market was so crowded.
Lucy and her husband Dave have their glasses stall in Cardiff Christmas market for 5 years. Dave was making glasses in the stalls, which attracted many pedestrians. Customers kept lining up outside their stall.
When asked about how the pandemic affects their business, Lucy said: “It is difficult to say, we only here for 3 days, so it is difficult to compare, but I hope it will be busy as usual.”
Bar Area
Walking towards the end of folk craft area, you will be surrounded by the smell of tasty food in the bar area. People can have beer and delicious food in the little wooden stalls with their friends and families, which may be one the most important thing in Christmas.
Because of social distance, there is restriction on the number of people to drink in outdoor bars. People kept waiting outside the bar even when it rained.
Festive Outdoor Activities
In previous years, there was the Winter Wonderland in Cardiff, but the event has been replaced by a number of festive outdoor activities this time. In the evening outside Cardiff Castle, the entertainment area is full of people. Although there are just simple games like throwing, shooting, and mini roller coaster ride, people seemed very excited.
Hannah is a Cardiff native, a mother of two children. She came here with her husband and her children.
“I thinks we all need some fun, and they have many sanitizers, so I don’t mind. Children need some fun.”
Yeshna is an International student of Cardiff University, who was playing the outdoor activities. She said:” It is a little bit sad that we cannot celebrate Christmas as students did in last year, but I think we should follow the restrictions.”