Harrogate Borough Council has announced the second Harrogate Christmas Fayre will take place from December 2 to 11.
The inaugural event was run by the council in the town centre in partnership with Market Place, a specialist market company from Greater Manchester.
It saw stalls and stands selling food, drink and gifts around Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent.
The fayre was organised after the original Harrogate Christmas Market, on Montpellier Hill, was cancelled after the council refused to sign off the organisers’ event management plan.
A survey of local businesses undertaken by the council reported that 68% said having a Christmas market was beneficial to the town and 94% said last year’s event had a positive impact on footfall.
Candy Cane Express
Destination Harrogate, the council’s destination management organisation, has also started to plan for Christmas with its ‘Destination Christmas’ campaign.
The Candy Cane Express, a free road-train that travelled around the town, will return, as will traditional fairground rides to add to the yuletide ambience.
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Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said:
“We are thrilled to be announcing the return of Destination Christmas. Which last year not only brought our community together at a special time of year after the challenges of the pandemic, but encouraged more visitors into our district for overnight stays at a crucial time of year for our businesses.
“Together with our partners we are looking forward with excitement and aspiration to building on the success of last year’s event. Through the market we provided a great platform to grow our offer of an engaging outdoor Christmas retail experience, and this together with the fantastic festive entertainment we are offering is set to showcase the Harrogate district as the perfect destination for Christmas.”
Original Christmas market gives up battle
Last month, the organisers of Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill gave up their battle to bring the event back.
The market, which was staged from 2012 to 2019, attracted over 80,000 visitors, 187 coaches and nearly 200 traders.
But the event was scuppered late into its planning stages last year when Harrogate Borough Council refused its event management plan.
