Great Yarmouth Christmas Markets to create truly magical festive shopping experience in town centre

The Christmas Markets, organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, extend the fun of the popular Christmas Fayre over three more weekends, with a wide range of traders offering food, drink, arts, crafts and gifts from beautifully-decorated wooden chalets and gazebos in the historic Market Square.

Promoted jointly with Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership, the first of the three-day Christmas Markets will take place during the Christmas Fayre, from November 30 to December 2. Further Christmas Markets will be held from December 7 to 9, December 14 to 16 and December 21 to 23, all from 9am to 4pm, Friday to Sunday.

Delights on offer at the weekly Christmas Markets will include hot spiced apple juice, homemade fudge, cakes, pastries and preserves, speciality breads, gift baskets and cookies, scented decorations, scarfs, handcrafted jewellery, ornaments, toys, other gifts and much more besides.

In addition to picking up some really special presents for family and friends, shoppers can also look forward to magical street entertainment from SeaChange Arts each weekend, including a snow machine, ice sculpture display, street entertainment and an animated projection onto a building.

New for 2018, the Market Place will also have a small fairground and extra Christmas lighting and trees, while the large tree will be positioned on the Minster green and lit up with decorations to wow and welcome visitors to the town centre.

The first day of the Christmas Fayre, Friday, November 30, will include the arrival of Father Christmas and the Christmas Lights Switch-on with free fireworks. Entertainment is scheduled to start at 5pm, with fireworks, switch-on and animated projection at 7pm. Shops will open until 8pm.

Over the three days of the fayre, there will be live musical entertainment. In addition to the Christmas Market stalls, the Minster and the Priory Centre will also be filled with stalls offering handcrafted gifts and tasty treats.

Cllr Barry Coleman, chairman of the council's economic development committee, said: "The Christmas Fayre is always hugely popular, marking the start of the festive period in the borough, and our Christmas Markets this year will spread that seasonal magic across three more weekends.

"The thousands of people visiting our historic town centre in the lead-up to the big day can look forward to a true Christmas market experience for people of all ages, with special gifts and entertainment, so make sure you don't miss out."

Town centre manager Jonathan Newman, of the Town Centre Partnership, said: "The Christmas Markets will be a wonderful boost for the town centre trade during the all-important Christmas period. Together with all the other Christmas attractions planned in the town centre, the decorated wooden chalets and gazebos, along with their festive fare and entertainment, will add up to create that truly magical Christmas shopping experience."

The Fayre will take place from 10am to 8pm on the Friday, 9am to 5pm on the Saturday and 10am to 4pm on the Sunday. On Saturday evening there is the much anticipated annual concert by Norwegian Choir Lardal Kantori in the Minster. Late night shopping in the town centre will be on Wednesday, December 19, Thursday, December 20 and Friday, December 21, with shops open until 9pm.

Other Christmas attractions in the town centre include Santa's Post Office, the Christmas Tree and Crib Festival, and the Civic Carol Service. Discover more at www.gychristmasmarket.co.uk To enquire about a stall at the Christmas Markets, visit www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/christmas-markets-get-involved

The Christmas Market events are part-supported by Norse, by the Town Centre Partnership and by Go Trade, a cross-Channel project to revitalise traditional markets, which is funded by the EU's Interreg France (Channel) England Programme.

There will be free all-day parking every Sunday in council-run town centre surface car parks from December 2 to 30. Parking remains free in most town centre surface car parks every weekday from 4pm, and free from noon on Wednesdays, at King Street, Brewery Plain and George Street.