Here we go! Harrogate’s Christmas activities begin tomorrow — here’s your guide

The festive season officially gets underway in Harrogate tomorrow with the return of ‘Destination Christmas’.

The town will be buzzing with the opening of the ice rink, 32-metre Ferris wheel, the carousel and 50 market stalls, plus more.

With so much going on we’ve put together a brief guide to the attractions, showing where you can see them and how much they cost.

Christmas Fayre

When: December 2 -11, Monday – Saturday: 10am – 7pm, Sunday: 10.30am – 4.30pm

Where: The pedestrianised areas of Cambridge Street and Market Place in Harrogate town centre

Destination Harrogate is bringing back Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which launched in 2021. It will be bigger this year with about 50 stalls to browse for Christmas gifts, decorations and seasonal foodie treats.

The traditional Christmas market, delivered by Market Place Europe, will offer an ‘eclectic mix of enticing stalls’ to complement Harrogate’s independent retailers, restaurants, bars and boutique stores.

Market Place Europe and Harrogate Borough Council, which jointly operate the Christmas Fayre, will also once again provide a stall for charities.

Little Bird artisan market

When: December 3 and 4 and December 10 and 11, Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm

Where: Valley Gardens, Harrogate

The festive artisan market will feature 70 local and regional traders and producers, who will sell a variety of arts and crafts, clothing, homeware, jewellery, as well as food and drink.

Candy Cane Express road train 

When: December 2-11

Where: This year’s route has yet to be confirmed, but last year it stopped at James Street, St Mary’s Walk and Crescent Road. It also passed Montpellier Hill, Cheltenham Parade, Station Parade and Victoria Avenue.

Cost: Free

The Christmas road train experience is also back for 2022, to transport festive revellers around Harrogate town centre while the market is on, with the Candy Cane Express co-funded by Harrogate BID.

Giant Ferris Wheel

When: December 2 – January 3

Where: Harrogate town centre, next to the war memorial

Cost: £7 for adults, £5 for children

The 32-metre illuminated observation wheel will offer views spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Harrogate outdoor ice skating rink

ice rink

When: December 2 – January 3, various times throughout the day

Where: Crescent Gardens, Harrogate

Cost: Tickets cost £14 for adults and £13 for children aged five to 16. Family tickets costing £37.50, £50 and £62.50 are available. Sessions are 60 minutes. There are also ‘relaxed sessions’ and parent and toddler sessions.

All new for 2022, the outdoor ice skating rink features an après ski bar offering seasonal treats and refreshments.

The bookings website says:

“Harrogate ice rink is magical for all ages, great for families, date nights, catch ups with pals, Christmas parties with a twist, skaters, non-skaters, those who want to learn to skate at our skate school or just enjoy one of the most fascinating spectator sports with a drink and bite to eat.”

Traditional carousel and children’s fairground rides

Harrogate Christmas carousel

When: December 2 – January 3, various times throughout the day

Where: Crescent Gardens, Harrogate

Cost: £3 per person. Bungee trampolines are £5 per go.

Crescent Gardens in Harrogate will take on a fairground feel again this year, featuring a traditional carousel and a collection of small rides for tiny tots.

The rides are provided by Events By Cynosure and supported by Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks and Environmental Services team.

Read more:

What the organisers say:

John McGivern, destination events manager for Destination Harrogate, which is part of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Destination Christmas and to be offering an even bigger and better experience for 2022. We’re building on the success of last year and through working in collaboration with our partners, including Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate BID, we can look forward to delivering something really special this Christmas.

“Destination Christmas not only offers our residents the opportunity to enjoy an amazing Christmas experience, particularly following the challenges of the past two years, it also encourages visitors to the Harrogate district from further afield, bolstering local trade and boosting our tourism industry at a crucial time in the business calendar.”

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Once again, Christmas will be coming to Harrogate town centre and I for one can’t wait. Last year’s offer was a great success but I know this year’s will be even bigger and better.

“Town centres are recovering well from the covid pandemic and by working with our partners and stakeholders we can once again deliver a safe, vibrant and attractive offer that drives visitors to our district’s shops, restaurants, visitor attractions, hotels and B&Bs this festive season, and showcase the Harrogate district as the perfect Christmas destination.

“The Christmas attractions also offer a fantastic way for families and friends to spend quality time together at this special time of year and to enjoy being active outdoors. And the all-new ice skating rink not only offers an exciting opportunity for people of all ages to socialise but also encourages physical activity, in a magical environment.”

Nick Rhodes, chief executive of Market Place Europe, said:

“Harrogate is a beautiful and unique destination and the perfect place to enjoy our fantastic Christmas market. We’re really excited to be returning this year with an even bigger Harrogate Christmas Fayre, and to be bringing an exciting variety of traders into the town centre to offer a wonderful experience that all the family can enjoy.”

First signs of Christmas attractions appear in Harrogate

Work began today to put up the ice rink which will be one of the main features of Harrogate’s Christmas attractions this year.

Crews from Events by Cynosure were on Crescent Gardens this morning setting up the rink, which will open on Friday, December 2 and has been organised by Harrogate BID and Harrogate Borough Council‘s Destination Harrogate marketing team.

The rink will run until Tuesday, January 3, opening every day except Christmas Day, and will be accompanied by an après-ski bar.

It is part of a scheme of attractions around the town which will also see a carousel, a ferris wheel and the Candy Cane Express road train return after a successful first appearance last year. They will all run until January 8.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, running from Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 11, will have 50 stalls put up around the town centre featuring a range of traders, including local charities. Installation will begin on Monday, November 28 and the fayre will be open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays.

Meanwhile, the Christmas lights have been switched on across the town centre, with just over five weeks to go until Christmas Day.

For full information on the ice rink click here.

Read more:

 

Ice rink will be part of ‘bigger and better’ Harrogate Christmas

Harrogate Christmas Fayre will be “bigger and better” than last year’s, organisers said today.

Destination Harrogate, which is part of Harrogate Borough Council, today revealed further details of the fayre, which will run from December 2 to 11.

Last year’s activities marked a major departure from the town’s previous seasonal offering, with the longstanding, locally-run Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill replaced by a town centre offering by the council in conjunction with Market Place Europe, a company that specialises in organising markets.

This year’s festivities will include:

The Candy Cane Express will return.

John McGivern, destination events manager for Destination Harrogate, said:

“We’re building on the success of last year and through working in collaboration with our partners, including Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate BID, we can look forward to delivering something really special this Christmas.”

Read more:

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Once again, Christmas will be coming to Harrogate town centre and I for one can’t wait. Last year’s offer was a great success but I know this year’s will be even bigger and better.”

Cllr Cooper added the ice skating rink “not only offers an exciting opportunity for people of all ages to socialise but also encourages physical activity, in a magical environment”.

Harrogate Christmas Fayre

Nick Rhodes, chief executive of Market Place Europe, said:

“Harrogate is a beautiful and unique destination and the perfect place to enjoy our fantastic Christmas market. We’re really excited to be returning this year with an even bigger Harrogate Christmas Fayre.”

 

Dates set for second Harrogate Christmas Fayre

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.

No. 5: A new era for Harrogate’s Christmas markets

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the controversial changes to Harrogate’s Christmas markets.

The organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market had 170 traders and 53 coaches booked to attend the annual event on Montpellier Hill in November when their plans were scuppered in July.

Harrogate Borough Council announced it had rejected the organisers’ event management plan because it “did not fully take into account the risk of overcrowding and necessary evacuation procedures, counter-terrorism measures and the ongoing risk of covid”.

The council quickly revealed plans to stage an alternative event in partnership with Market Place, a specialist market company from Greater Manchester. It later emerged the two organisations had been in talks since March.

The collaboration, which was extended to include Harrogate Business Improvement District, led to the creation of the first Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which took place in town centre streets from December 3 to 12.

Besides stalls, the fayre included a free road train called the Candy Cane Express, a carousel, helter skelter and ferris wheel.

The Candy Cane Express road train.

The town centre location and added attractions seemed to go down well, although some were disappointed with the lack of variety of stalls.

But it seems the event will return in 2022. Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, has spoken glowingly of it and of bringing it back next year.

Operations manager from Marketplace Europe, Andy Pidgen.

Andy Pidgen, operations manager at Market Place Europe, told the Stray Ferret:

“It went really well, the traders were very pleased. Some of the businesses I have spoken to said how good the event was for footfall. The council and Harrogate BID really liked it.

“We still need to have a debrief with both organisations in January but at the moment I would say I am feeling quite positive about next year.

“There are a few things I would like to tweak in terms of chalet locations but overall we would aim to make the Harrogate Christmas Fayre bigger and better in 2022.”

A separate artisan market was held in Valley Gardens on the first weekend of the fayre. Its success means the organisers, Little Bird Made, are now hoping to stage monthly artisan markets at the same venue.

Read more:

What is yet to be seen is whether the council’s warm welcome would extend to the organisers of the Harrogate Christmas Market, who hope to bring their event back next year.

Steve Scarre, the vice-chairman of the Harrogate Christmas Market.

Steve Scarre, vice-chairman of Harrogate Christmas Market, told the Stray Ferret that he will enter talks with the council and submit a new event management plan in January.

He said:

“We are planning to hold the Harrogate Christmas Market in the Montpellier Quarter next year.

“Every year there are new requirements that we have always tried to meet. We bend over backwards to make it as safe and enjoyable as possible.

“We have asked for a meeting with the council in January and plan to submit an event management plan then.

“From the very beginning we have said we have no issue with a separate event in the town centre.

“But our Harrogate Christmas Market works in the Montpellier Quarter. It is simply magical down there.”

Without the foresight of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, it seems difficult to predict at this stage how many markets Harrogate will get next Christmas.

Revealed: route for Harrogate’s free Christmas road train

A free road train will take visitors around Harrogate from Friday, just in time for the two town centre Christmas markets.

The Candy Cane Express will stop at James Street, St Mary’s Walk and Crescent Road. It will also pass Montpellier Hill, Cheltenham Parade, Station Parade and Victoria Avenue.

Face masks are advised on the road train, which will operate from December 3 to 12. Face masks are also advised around both markets.

The train route will take in the sights of the Christmas lights, Christmas shop window displays, Christmas rides and Santa’s postbox.

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It’s all part of the council’s drive to get people into the town centre to support the new fayre and the artisan market in Valley Gardens, which will also stimulate high street businesses.

Excitement has been building since the Christmas rides started in the town centre last month. This week stalls for the Christmas fayre appeared in the town centre.

A map of the Christmas road train.

When are the town centre Christmas markets?

Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which the council is running in partnership with Market Place Europe, will be open between 10am and 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am and 9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am and 4.30pm on Sunday.

The market will take place on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent and will provide gifts and mouth-watering treats for people to enjoy as they wander around, taking in the sights and sounds.

Around 50 traders will take part in the fayre.

In addition, Little Bird Made is set to hold a festive artisan market in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens this Saturday and Sunday, with times to be confirmed.

The artisan market will feature approximately 60 local and regional traders and producers who will sell a variety of festive arts and crafts, clothing, homeware, jewellery, as well as food and drink.