Close your eyes and listen hard. If you’re concentrating, you might hear the faint sound of jingle bells in the distance. Whether you’re ready or not, Christmas is coming – and now that summer’s out of the way, the festivities ramping up rapidly – with talk of a ‘Christmas Village’ coming to Bristol city centre.
The team behind Bristol’s iconic Christmas Market, which will still be taking over Broadmead from November 3, has submitted plans for a ‘Christmas Village’ in Castle Park. If approved, it will feature everything from a mulled wine bar and musical stage to a roller skating tent and VR snowboarding/skiing games.
The ‘Christmas Village’ would run from Thursday, November 14 until Sunday, January 5, and would be open from 10am to 10.30pm every day. It’s also expected that live music performances will take place throughout the festivities, alongside children’s activities (rides, games, etc.) A ‘projected 3D mapping’ screen will also be installed.
It will take over three locations around the city centre park, including open areas outside St Peter’s Church (which would house the main village facilities and attractions), the Wine Street entrance and the Castle Street entrance. Plus, a giant Christmas tree will take over the heart of the Castle Park site.
What happens to Bristol Christmas Market?
This new ‘Christmas Village’ would only be a short walk away from the Bristol Christmas Market, turning the whole city centre into a festive takeover. Home to over 35 unique stalls, you’ll be able to expect all the same musical entertainment, Yorkshire pudding wraps, Santa visits, and private Iglus regardless of the Castle Park outcome.
Relevention Limited took over the market in 2018 and has no interest in undoing all the hard work it’s put in – growing it into one of the best Christmas markets in the UK. A decision on the Christmas Village will likely be made by Bristol City Council in October.