Bournemouth Christmas Market set for international revamp

Bournemouth’s coveted Christmas market is set for an international revamp this year with the introduction of ‘The Bournemouth Festive Village’.

Preliminary dates have been set between 21st November and 5th January when visitors will be able to experience a Christmas in Bournemouth like never before.

Building on the last five years’ success, 2009 will see Christmas cultures colliding with a multicultural mix of trade stands and food outlets. From colourful and unique ladies’ accessories, ethnically sourced from Nepal, to jewellery made from coconut shells and fine silk garments imported from Thailand, these gifts from around the world are generally not available to purchase in high street shops.

The Town Square and surrounding streets of this festive fiesta will be bursting at the seams with Christmas ambience, not to mention the award-winning Lower Gardens that will be transformed into a winter wonderland with a host of activities on offer.

For the purists out there, there will be a centre-piece nativity scene as well as live reindeer in the lower-gardens. This eclectic Christmas mix is sure to satisfy even the most traditional of visitors.

A beautifully decorated arch shall sit proudly at the garden entrance, paving the way to the delights inside which will also include a miniature toboggan ice slide where visitors can don a rubber-ring and hurtle down the ice run and an ice-themed climbing wall. The lower-gardens are the ideal place for the kids to be entertained. For that quintessentially British feel there will be a horse-drawn Victorian carriage parading through the Square where there will also be a Victorian style galloper’s carousel.

A brand new Alpine Chalet style bar, with a beer garden serving high quality German larger and mulled wines (Gluhwein), will be centre stage offering a welcome refreshing distraction to visitors’ Christmas shopping.

The Christmas celebrations will be featuring authentic German cuisine with a traditional German charcoal BBQ Bratwurst House offering three types of German sausage, a giant windmill steak and potatoes stand, a roasted chestnuts costermonger, a flavoured coffee stall, a crepe stall, and a traditional sweets stall.

To top it all off, this Christmas Bournemouth will be home to Britain’s biggest bauble. The Bournemouth Eye, normally inactive through the festive season, will be given a new lease of life, soaring into the sky to amaze and enchant all with its decorated beauty.

Why not plan a day visit to the Bournemouth Festive Village or better still a short break in Bournemouth as one day may not be ample time to enjoy the full range of treats on offer?

Accommodation ranges from £20 to £200 per night to suit every budget. To book, or for more information, visit bournemouth.co.uk.