Exciting changes to St Albans Christmas Market including new management, a more suitable venue and later opening hours will make it “bigger and better than ever.”
The major revamp is a response to the feedback that the organisers, St Albans City and District Council, received about last year’s event which was attended by over 100,000 people.
A consultation with visitors, traders and other interested groups indicated the public wanted a more visible and accessible site than the walled Vintry Gardens by the Cathedral.
They also wanted more entertainment, later opening hours, more chalets selling high-quality produce and more spaces for socialising.
All of these requests could be met this year with events firm Meraki, which runs a successful summer music festival in the District, hosting the attraction.
The plan is for the market to move to the spacious events meadow at Verulamium Park and become part of Meraki’s Christmas Festival offering.
It will run for three weeks leading up to Christmas and be open six days a week. There will be late night opening until 11pm from Thursday to Saturday.
Councillor Salih Gaygusuz, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Business and the Community, said: “We have listened to what people want from the Christmas Market and acted on their demands.
“This year it will be bigger and better than ever with later opening hours among the new features.
“Vintry Gardens was a lovely setting, but the space was limited. By moving to the events meadow, we have a lot more room to expand into and yet are still very close to the City Centre.
“It is vital that City Centre businesses are boosted by the extra visitors the market will attract and we are looking at various ways of ensuring people are encouraged to go back and forth to both areas. We want the whole local economy to benefit.