Christmas Markets and events

I don't really understand this mass gathering for switching on lights etc. The lights will be on for the next month to admire and take photos, without loads of people.
Markets might be better as I assume they are over a couple of weeks so not everyone goes at once. I certainly wouldn't go at the weekend.

I was all set to visit the village Christmas fair with family tomorrow. It's all outdoors, so I'd take a mask for any crowded spots, but otherwise no worries.

Now we have storm Arwen on the horizon. Cold I can cope with but it looks like rain all afternoon, so no, I'll give it a miss this year.

DD and friend go to a Christmas market every year. usually somewhere in Europe. This year they decided to stay in the UK and are going to Bath. The friend is hyper nervous about these things and will be masked all the time. DD will mask indoors.

Covid is spread by aerosol, not touch. If you are vaccinated and masked, the chances of picking up the bug, especially outdoors, is minimal and of the few who do pick it up, the chances of being seriously ill are even smaller.

We cannot continue to go round terrified of everything and curtailing our lives. Take sensible precautions and then go out and enjoy yourself. Obviously if your health is already compromised, yes, you do need to be more careful, but no more than you normally would be to to avoid flu or any other winter infection.

From my sister who is visiting several German Christmas Markets at the moment:
Try to enter any Christmas Market, cafe, restaurant, bar, even McDonalds, you have to show your covid QR vaccination status on your phone or printed off, together with photo ID. If you can’t, that’s it, no entry. For the markets once you’ve shown it once you do get a COVID status-checked stamp on your hand so if you try to buy food from a stall you have to show it.

In 2018 we went to Strasbourg and visited a Christmas Market, I was very concerned at the high level of Policing and security.

I hate crowds and eventually said to my husband I had to leave the market area, he accused me of being a drama queen but agreed.

The following day in the very spot I had protested there was a terrorist attack.

I will never go to another Christmas market..

I have a friend who lives abroad. She removed her mask to make a quick phone call outside but forgot to put it back on. Within a minute she was approached by someone asking if she was exempt. She apologized and put it back. There's a fine for non compliance, infection and deaths are very low. Compare with us where rates yesterday reported at 47000, deaths I believe 147. To me it's only sensible to stay away from crowds. If we were more compliant it might be a different picture.

I've been going to a particular Christmas Market, which is held in the vast grounds of a stately home, for the past 5 years and have always really enjoyed it. We couldn't go last year and so were very much looking forward to going this year. But instead of the stalls being safely distanced from each other, thus allowing you to have a reasonable space to look at their goods and keep a little distance from others, the stalls were crammed into a ridiculously small area. Even mid week, when it was "quieter", it was impossible not to be cheek by jowel with hundreds of other people. Even though it was outdoors, that was the first time I've felt "unsafe" since restrictions were lifted; we left within minutes.

09:23Sago

I don't blame you I wouldn't visit the big international Christmas Markets although I have in the past not because of Covid because you can protect yourself to some extent from that but because of the ever present terrorist threat.

How many terrorist attacks have their been at Christmas markets? I appreciate when you have had an experience like Sago's it is unnerving, but in the broad run of things you are just as likely to experience such an attack in any big town centre. We cannot spend all our lives avoidung everything, just in case.

We went to the Christmas Market in Cologne 2 years ago, we had a lovely time, but as all Christmas markets everywhere seem to have the same stalls and the same goods, as far as I am concerned, seen one, seen them all.

Monica I appreciate that we are at risk of terrorism anywhere but these markets are particularly dangerous.

In Strasbourg and Prague you are funnelled in to a small area of narrow streets, people are inching their way around oblivious to what’s happening around them, most people are not familiar with the area so don’t know the best exits, in the case of an emergency it would be carnage.

But other Christmas markets are not like that, Cologne has seven spread round the city centre. As I keep saying we need to exercise sensible caution, but not overdo it. Choose different markets to go to. DD and friend are staying in the UK this year, Bath for the two of them, and York, for DD when she visits her brother who lives up there.

I've been to the Prague Christmas Markets several times and seem to remember that they're spread all over the city, not just in one area? It's one of the largest in Europe that I've been to and I've never felt anything other than safe there. The only incident that I remember there was when the Christmas tree fell over!

Chewbacca

I've been going to a particular Christmas Market, which is held in the vast grounds of a stately home, for the past 5 years and have always really enjoyed it. We couldn't go last year and so were very much looking forward to going this year. But instead of the stalls being safely distanced from each other, thus allowing you to have a reasonable space to look at their goods and keep a little distance from others, the stalls were crammed into a ridiculously small area. Even mid week, when it was "quieter", it was impossible not to be cheek by jowel with hundreds of other people. Even though it was outdoors, that was the first time I've felt "unsafe" since restrictions were lifted; we left within minutes.

I’ve also been to a similar market but it ended this week and due to other commitments didn’t have an opportunity to go.
Thank you for all the replies. I’ll just take a sensible approach as yes you have to go on living.

I would probably go to a Christmas market which was held outdoors but wear a mask. Three years ago my dd,sil and I went to Berlin and visited four markets. It was lovely and put me in the Christmas mood. I don't think my town are doing a light ceremony this year again but that's not something that appeals to me anyway.

Chatsworth? Grandmadinosaur

I am going to a Christmas market tomorrow. It is outdoors but I will wear a face mask.

We did York pre Covid never again it was packed no room to move between stalls just shuffle along not a pleasant experience
This year we visited York couple of weeks ago busy but much more comfortable than market time

I went to the one in Lincoln some years ago. It was absolutely packed no real pleasure in all the jostling and pushing. I definitely won't be going anywhere this year although I have always fancied the Getman ones.

Yes Chewbacca
I did wonder how it would be as the little wooden stalls used to get crowded previously. It is such a pretty one thigh she like you been going for about 5 years and something we look forward to.

* though*!

The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market has become a nightmare. It used to be lovely but now it's far too big. People come from all over and it's a crush and very expensive. I'll avoid it.

Kate1949

The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market has become a nightmare. It used to be lovely but now it's far too big. People come from all over and it's a crush and very expensive. I'll avoid it.

I think that decline happened with the advent of these Winter Wonderland markets. Initially we used to go to the one in Hyde Park where there were little wooden huts selling garden tools, woolly hats and gloves, crafts etc. You could also buy a cup of mulled wine and munch Pretzels. Suddenly it changed into a noisy theme park with rides, flashing lights and beer tents, so we stopped going.

York in 2019 was fun. We usually visit Winchester but aren’t down there this year. There’s a small one near us, about 20 huts so I think we’ll go there.

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