RECORD numbers of people have been attending cathedral Christmas markets, which are fast becoming a fixture in the calendar and contributing to outreach and finances.
The markets are country-wide and vary in scale and ambition. Many are a significant part of a town or city’s combined Christmas offering. Exeter, for example, attracts huge visitor numbers to what is Devon’s biggest Christmas market, hailed as its most iconic winter tradition. A month-long event, running until 19 December and open every day, including Sunday, it attracts in the region of 600,000 visitors.
The cathedral’s Christmas market is a popular component: a showcase for local crafters and makers, for whom it is a four-week, seven-day, 62-hour-a-week commitment. The Dean, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener, who is known to love the market, says: “It can be demanding in terms of staffing the stalls but also in terms of producing enough goods to cope with the level of custom. But the fact that many apply to return year after year certainly suggests this is a positive experience for them.”
Dedicated advertising had considerably increased the cathedral’s following on social media, and more people came to visit the cathedral as well as the market, he said. Putting it on entailed close working with the City Council, which strengthened relationships and brought mutual benefits, but, in the current financial and competitive climate, there could be no complacency, he implied: “We are counting numbers and estimating revenue again this year to show them what a significant contribution this market makes to the city and its businesses each year and how important it is to safeguard its future.”
Peterborough CathedralPeterborough Cathedral Christmas market
Winchester also goes all out: its month-long Christmas market on the cathedral grounds runs until 22 December, and is considered to be one of the best in Europe. It attracts up to 110,000 visitors and boasts an ice rink and more than 100 chalets, one of which is offered to a different charity each day.
“It brings massive economic benefit to the city,” the cathedral’s head of marketing and communications, Christina Rodwell, said on Monday. “It facilitates deeper engagement with our local council, tourism board, and community groups, and working closely together year by year strengthens our partnerships that extend way beyond Christmas.
“Feedback from stallholders is overwhelmingly positive. Beyond financial returns, makers often enjoy the sense of community and the opportunity to connect with customers in such a unique and historic setting.”
Many market-goers went inside and stayed for worship, she said. “It’s exciting to see people who may not have ventured inside a church have the confidence to explore and start a relationship with God, which they may not have done if not for the market.”
The cathedral also builds each year on its attempts to be eco-friendly and sustainable: no generators, a Christmas tree lit by solar panels, and temporary lavatories flushed by vacuum and using water from the crypt, which floods from autumn to spring. It also employs a company to sort and recycle every item of waste.
CATHEDRALS make the most of their frequently stunning winter backdrops. Ely has been putting on a Christmas gifts and food fair for the past 12 years, and, this year, welcomed 16,000 visitors to the four-day event. They were able to get a bird’s-eye view of the cathedral and the Fens beyond from the enclosed gondolas of a 35-metre observation wheel, one of several new additions, attractions, and exhibitors.
The emphasis is squarely on the artisan and the local for many, particularly in rural areas. This is Truro’s fifth year of hosting a one-day Christmas market: it had more than 60 stalls at the event last weekend, with an emphasis on Made in Cornwall. For many people in the area, this event marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations.
Some incorporate cathedral music into their markets, with pop-up carols, concerts, or other musical events. Carol-singing at noon in the Close at Hereford is led by the Dean, while the adult volunteer choir sing at St Davids Cathedral.
With more than 170 stallholders, Canterbury’s Christmas market has been confirmed as one of the largest in the UK. But smaller ones are also doing well. Southwell Minster reports the growing popularity of its Christmas market: the one-day event has become two-day; it has grown from the 60 stalls in the cathedral to an added dozen in the State Chamber; and visitor numbers increased from 2500 to 3100 this year.
The Minster’s head of events, Glenn Formoy, says: “It’s got a reputation as being very high-quality, and people do travel for it. We have it on the same November weekend every year and get a lot of the same people, who have it in the diary now. People see that cathedrals can be fun places where they can enjoy themselves and do things they didn’t necessarily think they could.”
There is no entry fee: visitors are invited to make a £3 donation, and 95 per cent do so. It is the Minster’s biggest income-generator, and a wonderful opportunity, Mr Fermoy says, to put the Minster’s Christmas services brochure in front of 3000 people.
Peterborough has reached record size, too: its three-day event featured more than 130 stalls and made it the largest ever hosted at the cathedral. “We’re thrilled that it has become one of the biggest and most anticipated events in the area,” the market’s organiser, Natalie Freeman, said.
Ripon offers a park-and-ride system: free parking and a shuttle bus to its two-day gift and food fair. The cathedral brings in local choirs from schools, churches, and community groups. There is no entry fee for accompanied children, and the £5 entrance fee for the rest “raises vital funds for the cathedral’s mission to serve the people and communities of North Yorkshire and the Diocese of Leeds, its education programme, music and heritage conservation”.
Worcester’s offering is a Christmas-tree festival that runs until 6 January, with more than 200 trees on display in the Chapter House, the Cloisters, and a festive pop venue on College Green. “It’s a much-loved tradition and grows in size and popularity every year,” the cathedral’s events director, Sam Poursain, says. “Alongside the Dedication Trees, which offer an opportunity for families to remember a lost loved one, letters to Santa and relaxed hours, there really is a way for all to be involved.”
“It’s a big few days for us when we welcome lots of returning but also new visitors,” the head verger and events manager of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, James Stark, said. “Alongside our Advent services, [our Christmas market] marks the start of our Christmas celebrations. We look forward to welcoming all.”
