The gingerbread houses are up, the beer tent is back in action and the terrifying ferris wheel has made its’ way to Eyre Square once again. It’s that time of year when Galway city welcomes back the annual Christmas Market.
This year’s market kicks off on Friday 11th November 2022 until Wednesday 22nd November 2022”. The set times for this year are Monday to Wednesdays 12 noon to 10:00pm and Thursday to Saturdays 10:00am to 10:00pm and Sundays 10:00a to 8pm. The locals of Galway are encouraged to mark it on their calendars as the market arrives with their return of Christmas spirit and all things sugar and spice. The food stalls and hand-crafted items are coming back to add colour and taste to Eyre Square, not to mention the lights and small Christmas displays.
Marie Moynihan Lee, one of the producers of Milestone Inventive said: “We are delighted that the Annual Christmas Market continues to deliver the spirit of Christmas and record visitor numbers to the city centre each year to the benefit of both traders and the retail and hospitality sectors. The positive economic impact of the market to the city is huge, with thousands of Irish visitors and shoppers coming to Galway for the event.
“Our research consistently shows that every €1 spent in the market, a further €3 is spent in local shops, bars and restaurants”. It’s a rarity that locals notice the change the market brings to the city each year in regards to business’s both big and small creating a small profit in their revenue. A lot of comments surface around the market each year with people thinking that it’s the same thing as every year previous, but locals should really be thinking of the happiness and how a lot of the stall owners depend on this income to pay their bills and keep their stalls open.
That’s what the Christmas Market is about; happiness, joy, spreading Christmas spirit. Personally, a big deal is made out of it in my household with the entire family and my partner going in to the market together and having a look around at all the dazzling lights and tasting the amazing variety of delicious crepes and foods they have. In regards to previous years, we can see the return of various food stalls which include traditional crepes with Nutella, Irish hand-made fudge, German Bratwurst and other confectionaries from over a dozen traders and for those with a thirst in their veins, the traditional mulled wine will be back along with beer served in steins from the popular Bier Keller. The other stalls will hold hand-made crafts and tools; they’ll make the perfect and most unique Christmas gift for someone.
We also can say a big hello to the return of the traditional carousel and the thirsty-two metre big wheel where you can see a spectacular view from the top of the entire market and the lights that trail down Shop Street to the Latin Quarter. It is the best time of year as November acts as the preparation month for Christmas time and what better way to get into the mood of it all by going to the Christmas Market. As a Galway local, I wish them the best of luck and I’m sure all of us are eagerly waiting to see them open their doors to us as we have opened Eyre Square to them.
