Christkindel Market – Leeds

Good morning you amazing people! How are you all? keeping warm I hope 🤞 My mum and I have been resting over the weekend due to a very long day last Friday, as we went to the doctors and then into Leeds City Centre to do a bit of shopping, and as it’s quite far away from our house, we had to train and then walk/wheel home as my dad couldn’t take us back due to him having to work. It was a very long process to get home as a lot of people weren’t very considerate and kept walking in front of us, which kept slowing us down, and because it’s been very cold, we also had the wind against us as well, so by the time we eventually got home we were exhausted.

Anyway back to today’s post, yesterday we went back to Leeds to go to the German Christmas Market. We were going to go last year but unfortunately, we had to move and I was very ill 😔 so we made it a mission to go this year! We’d been once before a few years ago when we were visiting my sister and I remember we enjoyed it a lot, so much in fact that we just had to go back.

Christkindelmarkt 

The tradition of German Christmas Markets goes back to the Middle Ages. Records of the Frankfurt Christmas Market date back to 1393. At that time, the markets merely consisted of product stalls where artisans sold their own wares – mainly wooden toys, Christmas decorations, candles, and sweets. Ceramics stalls were a special feature of the Frankfurt Market. 

Over time, the range of products available at German Christmas Markets has changed to suit modern tastes, but the markets still hold true to their traditions, with Christmas decorations, crafts and sweets still dominating today. The Christmas market is the place to buy all you need to make Christmas special, including decorations, gifts, and sweets – traditionally consumed in large quantities at Advent and Christmas time.

Reflecting this tradition, stalls selling candles, toys, sweets, ceramics, and crafts are an integral part of an authentic and traditional German Christmas Market and are essential to creating its special atmosphere. The same stalls feature at the markets year after year. But this does not mean that their products stay the same. Every year, the stallholders update their ranges: the candle stall, for example, offers fresh and exciting products every year to cater to changing tastes.

This year, Millennium Square has once again been transformed into a scenic winter village featuring over 40 traditionally decorated wooden chalet stalls selling a wide range of seasonal gifts, toys decorations and the best in authentic German food and drink, together with cozy indoor venues, family entertainment, and the traditional Christmas Carousel ride.

It’s open daily from 10.30am to 9.30pm Monday to Saturday and is wheelchair/pushchair accessible! Fair warning that the market does close Saturday 21st December, so you only have a few days left to experience it. 

If you are thinking of going, Christkindelmarkt is located on Millennium Square in the heart of Leeds city center and is easily accessible from Calverley Street, Cookridge Street, and Portland Crescent.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I will see you next time ☺