Christmas market

Lovely Bloke

Gongoozler wrote: »

Can't say I'm too impressed by it really as, take away the Christmas decorations and you'll find the exact same stalls at any "market" in Dublin. This is what bugs me about Dublin, it's the same stalls same people just a different day and place. They really should've put more effort and thought into this. The only thing different is the mulled wine and cider and whiskey. It's the only thing Christmassy about it.

yeah, this.

Every bleedin market is the same, creperies, hot dogs, sausages pretending to be Bratwurst, some vaguely asian noodle sellers, crap burgers pretending to be gourmet food, overpriced cadburys drinking chocolate, someone selling woolen clothes suitable for a trip to the Andes and various handmade jewelery sellers.

odyssey06

For anyone interested in attending the "Christmas Kingdom" in St Annes Park, this is its official site with list of attractions:
http://christmaskingdom.ie/the-experience/map

Kevin the Kid

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

yeah, this.

Every bleedin market is the same, creperies, hot dogs, sausages pretending to be Bratwurst, some vaguely asian noodle sellers, crap burgers pretending to be gourmet food, overpriced cadburys drinking chocolate, someone selling woolen clothes suitable for a trip to the Andes and various handmade jewelery sellers.

Dead right. Walked by it today and kept walking. Same stuff as usual.
Some of the vendors looked really disinterested....... what the hell have I gotten myself into look on their faces. People shuffling by like the vendors are a live switzers window.
Tat everywhere and nobody buying it.
Hygiene seems to be out the window too - saw a guy selling nuts and sugary sweets using his bare hands-- yuk

Cheap liqueurs being mixed with hot water and then charged top prices for it - you'd get a better deal in the Shelbourn.
Avoid.

emzolita

It's really miserable tbh. It's tiny. Half of the stalls were empty and closed when I was there. The ones that were open were repeats of each other. The hot dog stand was blaring dance music.... kinda killed any Christmas atmosphere.

Also it didn't encourage me to spend any money in it. It is so narrow and busy there is nowhere to sit and enjoy your mulled wine and hotdog, so we didn't even bother buying one.

It just reeks of half arsed planning to make a quick buck. They could have done a lovely thing in the Green like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

emzolita

Kevin the Kid wrote: »

Dead right. Walked by it today and kept walking. Same stuff as usual.
Some of the vendors looked really disinterested....... what the hell have I gotten myself into look on their faces. People shuffling by like the vendors are a live switzers window.
Tat everywhere and nobody buying it.
Hygiene seems to be out the window too - saw a guy selling nuts and sugary sweets using his bare hands-- yuk

Cheap liqueurs being mixed with hot water and then charged top prices for it - you'd get a better deal in the Shelbourn.
Avoid.

A girl on a crepe stand kept eating all the toppings from the bowl with her bare hands, It looked disgusting.

Chris_5339762

Absolute rubbish. Went in there during the week for a quick look.

I've been to the Munich and Vienna Christmas Markets. This one in Dublin is an embarrassment. Not a patch on the European ones.

tomboylady

I work on the Green and we had really been looking forward to it opening. Went by for lunch one day this week and was really disappointed. There are quite a few stalls/huts that are empty. It is seriously congested, particularly when people are pushing buggies, or have lots of large shopping bags/luggage. If you took away the food stalls, there wouldn't be very much left. We each had a burger and wedges (neither of which were anything special), and ended up just going back to our office to eat because there weren't any free spaces to sit and eat.

ProudDUB

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Absolute rubbish. Went in there during the week for a quick look.

I've been to the Munich and Vienna Christmas Markets. This one in Dublin is an embarrassment. Not a patch on the European ones.

Ireland doesn't have a history or tradition of Christmas markets, the way that the Continent does. So I think its a bit unfair to go in, expecting it to be on a par with what you'd see in Germany or Austria.

That being said, it sounds like the organizers of Dublin's market have done a piss poor job of putting structures in place where there is adequate space for people to move about freely, congregate, sit and eat and drink etc etc. Perhaps if they get enough feedback about the cramped conditions this year, they will move it inside to the Green itself, or somewhere like Iveagh Gardens or Merrion Sq.

There also needs to be stuff that people would actually consider buying, not just touristy tat. What about getting the Irish Craft Council involved and having some sponsored stalls, with handmade Irish crafts and gifts that people would actually want to buy? There are plenty of artisan crafts people and jewelry makers out there, who make wonderful things. How many of them can (a) afford a stall at the market or (b) man it by themselves for 10 hours, 7 days a week for 5 weeks?

Paco Rodriguez

emzolita wrote: »

It just reeks of half arsed planning to make a quick buck. They could have done a lovely thing in the Green like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

That's the theme to things here it seems. Something to make some money from the least amount of effort. Whereas the markets in Europe (Budapest and Ljubljana from experience) seem to be there to contribute to the spirit of Christmas primarily, and make money secondary.

We may not have a history of markets, but surely it doesn't take years to build an imagination.

Deenie123

The irish times are highlighting some that might be worth visiting:


http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/get-yourself-to-a-christmas-market-1.2001233?page=1

flanzer

I went to the St. Annes one today and was impressed. They've some hurdy-gurdie's for the kids, stands that sell crepes, sweets, burger, nic-nak gifts etc, all the usual stuff. There's a train that brings you up and down the avenue which was great for the kids. There's also an indoor play area for the kids. What impressed me the most was the avenue was lit up with lights in a criss cross effect like this, very romantic!:

Well worth a visit, but I'm a big fan of that park anyway!

Deenie123

flanzer wrote: »

I went to the St. Annes one today and was impressed. They've some hurdy-gurdie's for the kids, stands that sell crepes, sweets, burger, nic-nak gifts etc, all the usual stuff. There's a train that brings you up and down the avenue which was great for the kids. There's also an indoor play area for the kids. What impressed me the most was the avenue was lit up with lights in a criss cross effect like this, very romantic!
Well worth a visit, but I'm a big fan of that park anyway!

Great to hear, planning a visit next week

hfallada

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Absolute rubbish. Went in there during the week for a quick look.

I've been to the Munich and Vienna Christmas Markets. This one in Dublin is an embarrassment. Not a patch on the European ones.

But Christmas markets are very much a German speaking country thing(you find them along the French/ German Border also) and a few in Czech Republic. Germany/Austria have an incredibly long tradition of Christmas markets. As Christmas is very much a German thing Eg idea of Christmas tree and its decorations came from Germany. Germany also has a ton of foods just eaten at Christmas eg Stollen, Marzipan, Lebkuchen. There is also Mulled wine, Bratwurst etc. Although Lidl is Germany, there is so amount of German Christmas food compared to the English speaking worlds Christmas food( I dont think they even eat pudding or mince pies in the US)

Ireland lacks all these traditions. Ireland has very like foods or traditions associated with Christmas. Other than pudding or Mince pies. It literally the same day as any other year. We dont have a history of crafts goods like Germany. A small Christmas tree decoration from a market might cost €20-30 in Germany. But Germans pay for quality, where as Irish people dont.

A better idea for a Christmas market is not trying to badly copy German markets. But actually promoting our own Irish foods like Lidl has been doing for the last few Christmas's. Eg having Irish craft cider instead of pissy Mulled wine.

greenbicycle

I agree with all the posts on this thread, the market is very poor. For the wealth of interesting crafts that are made in Ireland the selection was very poor, even what was there was just cheap crap.

There are far too many burger stands, why not have a bit more variety? Even if they had a selection of food like a normal market might have, this would add a bit more interest.

I dont agree that we cant do our market as well as germans ones because we haven't been doing them long enough, why not learn from the german markets?

Why not have a big beer tent like the one in Belfast, they have two different pub type tents that are really popular for drinks in the evenings. The Belfast market also has a wide variety of foods and some really unusual foods like kangaroo burgers etc there is an opportunity for new kinds of foods to be tried at markets.

There are so many unique shops in dublin, why not offer the shops stalls at the market and get them out there promoting their products, you could have cheese mongers and some of the little cake shops along with some local artists and other local crafts something like that jam art factory from temple bar?

I also would have expected there to be availability of things like real christmas wreaths, holly and other typical items made from christmas plants.

Who are the people setting this market up? They really didn't have much imagination or good planning skills.

jimmii

Having spoken with local crafts people it seems everyone was basically priced out of taking a stall at it the prices they were looking for were just crazy high. They should have taken an approach similar to Showcase where they make a few stalls available to local micro crafts people at reduced rates.

greenbicycle

jimmii wrote: »

Having spoken with local crafts people it seems everyone was basically priced out of taking a stall at it the prices they were looking for were just crazy high. They should have taken an approach similar to Showcase where they make a few stalls available to local micro crafts people at reduced rates.

That is such a pity...and actually when you think about it, it is probably very obvious. The burger stands are all exactly the same and are obviously the same person/company.

Its strange though that it is run by DCBID and Dublin city council and does nothing to enhance small business in dublin, it doesnt promote any businesses in dublin! It certainly does not do anything for tourism in dublin either.

I am so disappointed, i was really looking forward to the market and I am always up for promoting unique irish businesses, especially the small guys but this market was a complete let down.

jimmii

greenbicycle wrote: »

That is such a pity...and actually when you think about it, it is probably very obvious. The burger stands are all exactly the same and are obviously the same person/company.

Its strange though that it is run by DCBID and Dublin city council and does nothing to enhance small business in dublin, it doesnt promote any businesses in dublin! It certainly does not do anything for tourism in dublin either.

I am so disappointed, i was really looking forward to the market and I am always up for promoting unique irish businesses, especially the small guys but this market was a complete let down.

Yeh I would imagine they were able to get the rate reduced a little bit for taking so many of the food pitches. Would have been nice to see something different. There were two girls selling chilli but no one seemed to be paying them any attention all people wanted was burgers. Hmmm I love chilli.

keane2097

We don't have a tradition of Xmas markets is a lol worthy excuse for what is a fairly lol worthy market.

To be expected really. What we lack a tradition of is any bit of ambition, imagination and commitment to quality.

danger_mouse_tm

Myself and the missus will be heading up to the market next week. Are there any good deals to be had in tools or second hand clothes?

Mr.Crinklewood

Iveagh Gardens would have been perfect for this.

greenbicycle

danger_mouse_tm wrote: »

Myself and the missus will be heading up to the market next week. Are there any good deals to be had in tools or second hand clothes?

There is nothing like that in the christmas market at all. Not sure any christmas market would sell that type of stuff..... You would be better off at a car boot sale.

Deenie123

keane2097 wrote: »

We don't have a tradition of Xmas markets is a lol worthy excuse for what is a fairly lol worthy market.

To be expected really. What we lack a tradition of is any bit of ambition, imagination and commitment to quality.

In general, we also lack an appreciation of quality and are basically stinge-bags. Something can be a beautiful hand-crafted wooden let's say for argument's sake, crib and nativity scene. Can be carved from the most beautiful maple wood and lovingly and painstakingly detailed. Irish attitude? "Ya want €60 for THA? Ya WHA? Sure ya can get dem in Pennys for a tenner".

ProudDUB

Deenie123 wrote: »

In general, we also lack an appreciation of quality and are basically stinge-bags. Something can be a beautiful hand-crafted wooden let's say for argument's sake, crib and nativity scene. Can be carved from the most beautiful maple wood and lovingly and painstakingly detailed. Irish attitude? "Ya want €60 for THA? Ya WHA? Sure ya can get dem in Pennys for a tenner".

I know what you mean. But this is Grafton St, not the Henry St stalls. There are plenty of people in the Grafton St area, who are willing to drop serious amounts of money when they are out shopping. The likes of BT and all the high end jewelry shops in the area, wouldn't have lasted as long as they have if there wasn't. The key is to give shoppers a good selection of high quality goods, as well as making the shopping experience a good one.

Was in there today. Wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. I bought some silver jewelry & a photographic print from one of the stalls. The stalls selling woolen hats and gloves seemed to be doing a roaring trade and fair play to them.

The layout is bad though. It is far too cramped. The food & drink stalls are all clustered together at the Grafton St entrance. People queuing to get some grub, were blocking the path for people just wanting to walk, or see the stalls. The whole thing ended before you got to the end of that side of the Green, which was mad. They should spread things out more, wrap it around the other side of the Green if need be. Spread the food/drinks stalls out more and put more of the picnic tables in between each stall, so people can sit & socialize better.

It is a great idea in theory to have right at the top of Grafton St, but considering the crowds that it will attract, it needs to be inside the Green, or in Iveagh Gardens, where it can spread out a bit more. If they want to attract the Grafton St shopper, they could always start the market at the Green, so that people know its there, but then continue it and have the bulk of the stalls, elsewhere.

Skittlebrau

Went in yesterday for a look. Saw the massive queue at the Grafton St. end and decided against it... couldn't believe it when you could enter at the top of Dawson St without any issues.

Had a burger.. which was decent. Nothing special though.

Apart from that.. thought it was pretty terrible. Location doesn't work. Way too narrow.. too crowded. Felt like you were being ushered in a quere from 1 stall to the next.

Seriously disappointing variety of stalls. Majority were food.. at least 3 burger stalls / 2 hot dog.. 2 mulled wine.. just kept repeating.

Wouldn't be rushing back.. that's for sure.

strandroad

Deenie123 wrote: »

In general, we also lack an appreciation of quality and are basically stinge-bags. Something can be a beautiful hand-crafted wooden let's say for argument's sake, crib and nativity scene. Can be carved from the most beautiful maple wood and lovingly and painstakingly detailed. Irish attitude? "Ya want €60 for THA? Ya WHA? Sure ya can get dem in Pennys for a tenner".

Not quite, if you've ever been to the one day Christmas on the Square in Merrion Sq, they have high quality goods and lovely gifts in there and you can barely push through the crowd. The council should really invite such vendors, mix them up with more ordinary food stalls and run the market in and around Merrion Sq, with carol singing, entertainment etc. Copying German tradition won't work out, but Christmas on the Square folks get it right - it's very festive and enjoyable, and Irish at the same time.
It on this Saturday, November 29th.

National Crafts Fair in the RDS also seems to have huge number of excellent craft & food stalls. Not sure why they don't trickle to the market?

Boom_Bap

That Chistmas Market on Stephens Green is brutal. Absolutely brutal.

It's way too narrow. If you stop at a stall, you are basically blocking foot traffic in 1 direction. There were no real interesting stalls either, with maybe the exception of the ones that sold funky kids hats. But when there are 3 stalls selling the same stock, you know they are just some more mass produced tat.
Having the queue go past the main entrance to the park is a bit silly as well. There are some event staff there that act as a traffic light crossroad system.

I also love a Wurst I do, I didn't even stop to get one because of the claustrophic nature of the place.

Idbatterim

was at this market on saturday, I couldnt find any stall selling Bratwurst, all they had was hot dogs!!! also the size of the glasses of gluhwein for E5 a pop, as beyond a joke... Does anyone actually know how much the stalls cost? A beer tent would also have been great...

Frosty McSnowballs

I went last night while it was quiet. I'd imagine it's mayhem during the day.

I'm not overly disappointed tbh, but that's only because I have no great expectations for Christmas markets here. Before you get there, you know it's going to be a load of bollox but still go to get a feed.

There was nothing of interest to buy (in my own opinion). I echo what others have said. Way too narrow, could have been located in a better area. There's really no need for the repeat of hotdog, burger, mulled wine stalls. It's like that scene in the Simpsons as Bart is walking through the mall and starbucks is everywhere.

God forbid the council put any thought or effort into these things. The stall holders can't be too happy with the arrangement either.

I'd love to see a Christmas market in Dublin where at least some of the stalls have something worth buying. I don't know anyone who would like a bog wood picture frame, a bamboo pillow or a low quality Christmas jumper.

From the lack of imagination and the lack of interesting, quirky things to buy, I can't ever see a really successful one operating here.

These small craft stalls are the same you find in Sunday markets around the country. Maybe that's why I have no interest in what's being sold.

All I know is, I went out to spend but there was nothing to buy. So I ate my bollox off and left.

AsianDub

Does anyone think it would be better suited to the wide and long O' Connell Street with the Christmas tree being there as well?

jack presley

Work close by so walk past most days but find it funny that they have entrances when you can just cross the road anywhere between Dawson Street and Kildare Street and walk straight in. No railings on the footpath

Can't do my jog around the green in the evenings anymore though which is a bummer