Skating under the stars helps make it a fairytale Christmas in Bristol
Christmas in Bristol, the capital of the West Country, is set to be a showstopper this year with a brand new ice rink on Millennium Square and a season of first-rate theatre shows and concerts, including a star-studded pantomime at Bristol Hippodrome, television favourites ‘Only Men Aloud’ singing at Colston Hall and a beautiful adaptation of The Little Mermaid at one of the UK’s finest theatres, Bristol Old Vic.
Shopping, festive markets and enchanting attractions combine to make Christmas in Bristol a uniquely magical experience. Highlights during Christmas 2013 include:
Open air ice rink
At-Bristol, the Harbourside science centre, will host an ice rink on Millennium Square for the very first time this winter. From Saturday 9November until Sunday 5January, the ice rink will be open from 10am to 8pm each day for public skating. Located in the heart of the Harbourside, the 450m² ice rink will sit beneath At-Bristol’s iconic chrome-plated Planetarium.
Christmas markets
The popular German-themed Christmas market will return in quaint wooden chalet-style stalls to the pedestrianised area of Bristol’s Shopping Quarter at Broadmead from Friday 8 November until Sunday 22 December. Unique gift ideas, original homemade crafts and German-themed food and drink like Glühwein, Bratwurst and Lebkuchen will be on offer. Between browsing the stalls visitors can relax in the Bavarian beer garden and enjoy festive music from the Salvation Army band. A Local producers and craft market will also be at Broadmead every day from Thursday 28 November to Sunday 22 December featuring gifts with a Bristol twist, local handmade goods and fairtrade produce. A short stroll away is St Nicholas Market in the heart of Bristol’s Old City surrounded by beautiful Georgian architecture and boasting award-winning produce and some truly unique stalls. It’s also a great place for a good value bite to eat with everything from hog roast to a Pieminister Pie.
Shopping
Bristol’s Cabot Circus shopping centre is home to over 500 stores, including flagship department stores and high street favourites, perfect for Christmas shopping. A free, family event at Cabot Circus shopping centre on Friday 8 November will see the switch on of Bristol’s magical Christmas lights and the official start of the festive season in the city. As well as the twinkling lights in Cabot Circus and The Galleries shopping centre, there will be lights at nearby St Nicholas Market, Corn St, The Centre Promenade, College Green, and Park Street. Quakers Friars offers a luxury shopping experience from the South West’s first and only Harvey Nichols to designer brands including The White Company and Hugo Boss. Bristol prides itself on its individuality so Gloucester Road, the UK’s longest street of independent shops and businesses, is a shopper’s delight. The thriving hubs of Park Street and Clifton Village are lined with boutique shops and elegant bars and cafés for a mid-shopping interval. At Clifton Village you can peruse a treasure chest of items in the Victorian Clifton Arcade, home to some of the most unique shops in the city selling everything from vintage costume jewellery to stylish one-off gifts.
Santa’s Grottos
There are a number of Santa’s grottos dotted around the city; in central Bristol Santa will be in his Grotto at The Galleries shopping centre every weekend in November from Friday 8 November and every day throughout December until Christmas Eve. Give Santa your Christmas wish list and then enjoy the three-storey shopping centre, which is home to 85 stores including Argos and Waterstones.
Shows and pantomime
Cinderella is at Bristol Hippodrome from Friday 6 December 2013 to Friday 3 January, 2014. See this classic fairytale in traditional pantomime style with the mischievous star of ITV’s Dancing on Ice Louie Spence and Emmerdale’s Suzanne Shaw.
The Little Mermaid is at the recently refurbished Bristol Old Vic from Thursday 28 November 2013 to Saturday 18 January 2014. Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale promises to be a memorable performance of song, costume and a dash of aquatic magic.
The Last Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor is at the Tobacco Factory Theatre from Wednesday 27 November 2013 to Monday 13 January 2014. Stories of catastrophic shipwrecks, far off lands and mythical beasts are all in this new telling of Sinbad’s most fantastical adventures, plus a brand new tale that’s never been told before.
Christmas is a real celebration at Colston Hall, one of Bristol’s best music venues. Throughout the month enjoy a series of one-off events like Colston Christmas Ceilidh (Saturday 14 December) Only Men Aloud (Friday 20 December) Bristol Choral Society performing Handel’s Messiah (Saturday 21 December) and Last Night of the Christmas Proms (Saturday 28 December).
Carols and sacred Bristol
Explore some of Bristol’s sacred buildings, which are at their most impressive during the Christmas period. The Lord Mayor’s Chapel is a majestic building on Park Street, carols, recitals, readings and services take place at the magnificent Bristol Cathedral on College Green and Advent Procession and Carols by Candlelight take place at St Mary Redcliffe Church, Redcliffe Way on Sunday 1 December.
Festive Museums and attractions
Celebrate a traditional Victorian Christmas at Brunel’s SS Great Britain, at the Great Western Dockyard. Victorian Christmas lunch on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 December are great fun for groups and include Victorian ‘guests’ - Isambard Kingdom Brunel among them - carol singing, entertainment and sumptuous Victorian fayre among the beautiful Christmas trees traditionally dressed with Victorian-style trinkets.
Enchanted Christmas returns to Westonbirt Arboretum from Friday 29 November to Sunday 22 December, 2013. Wander along a spectacular one mile illuminated trail, highlighting the striking structures of Westonbirt’s trees as they are magically lit against the winter night sky.
Spiegeltent comes to the Lloyds Ampitheatre providing a fabulously different festive experience. Vintage and handmade arts, crafts and clothes, a vintage hairstylist and live music are part of the four weekends of markets starting on Saturday 30 November and 1 December. One-off performances from The Puppini Sisters, The Tiger Lillies and a night of swing dance and music from Bristol Swing makes it a true celebration.
For more information about where to go in Bristol at Christmas and where to stay overnight, go to visitbristol.co.uk.
