Shopping on the high street for your Christmas presents is all well and good until you realise that you, your dad, your brother and your aunt have all bought your mum the exact same hand moisturiser or slippers. A much better bet would be picking up your gifts from indie traders at one of the UK’s top Christmas markets.
Some seasonal fairs sell a lot of similar tat, but there’s one in particular where you’re guaranteed to find presents that are of high quality and sold nowhere else... Cardiff Christmas Market.
The Welsh capital’s market has been organised by fair crafts company Craft*Folk for the past 30 years, and is an opportunity for local artists, crafts people and food and drink producers to sell their goods. Every year, twinkling wooden stalls set up all along the pedestrianised areas of St John Street, Working Street, Trinity Street and Hills Street. So, if you’re in need of some last minute gifts, here’s everything you need to know about Cardiff Christmas Market.
When is Cardiff Christmas Market?
Cardiff Christmas Market launched on November 13 and will stay up and running until Tuesday December 23.
What are the opening times?
From Monday to Saturday trading times 10am until 6pm (7pm on Thursdays). On Sundays, the market stays open from 10am until 5am and on its final day, the market will close at 4pm.
What are the main attractions?
The large majority of stall holders at Cardiff Christmas Market represent small Welsh businesses and you won’t find their products anywhere on the high street. Expect to find gifts with loads of Welsh charm – hand-stitched red dragons, wooden love spoons, cushions displaying with the word ‘cwtch’, silver Celtic jewellery – as well as locally made foodstuff. Of course, there’s ladles of mulled wine too. There’s also a Winter Wonderland, complete with an ice rink and ferris wheel, down the road
How to get to Cardiff Christmas Market
If travelling into the city by train (there’s a direct service from London Paddington every 30 minutes), alight at Cardiff Central Station rather than Cardiff Queen Street. From there, it’s just a five minute walk to the Christmas market. If you’re coming in by car, organisers recommend driving into the city centre via the J32 junction. There are loads of pay and display and NCP car parks dotted around the city, or you can use one of its numerous park and ride facilities.
You can also opt to arrive via water taxi. If you park up in Cardiff Bay, hop on a boat that’ll take you to a stop near Cardiff Castle, a 10 minute stroll from the market.
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