Wellington Christmas Market 2016

Saturday 26th November saw Wellington’s Christmas Lights Switch-On, this year accompanied for the first time by a day-long street market along Market Street, plus a handful of stalls in Market Approach and a pop-up shop in Market Square. It’s always seemed like a good idea to try hosting a festive market event to coincide with the switch-on, as the latter draws such a big crowd. But with the lights not going on until the evening, it would be a big job to sustain the atmosphere – and generate enough market footfall – for the several hours beforehand.

So it wasn’t an easy thing to get right, but the format looked like it worked. With stalls lining Market Street, street performers and a magician, a great singer (Heidi Browne) and Wellington Brass Band, there was a really nice vibe in the middle of the town – and certainly over many more hours than is usual on a Saturday in Wellington. So, congratulations to Fay, Team Wellington and Caroline at the Town Council for all their organising work. I’m sure there will be ideas for future years – for tweaks and adjustments. But this year’s Market and Switch-On combo sets a great template. Here are just a few pictures from the day, before it went dark and the lights went on.