Belfast Christmas Continental Market To Return

The annual Belfast Christmas Continental Market opens in the gardens of the Belfast City Hall on Saturday November 17th, injecting its traditional blaze of colour and festive cheer into the city centre and signalling the start Christmas.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Gavin Robinson, said: "The Continental Market is one of the year`s most eagerly anticipated events, both by residents and visitors alike, and provides an invaluable boost to the city's tourism offering in the run up to Christmas. I look forward to another successful visit this year, and the associated benefit that it undoubtedly will bring to this city in these ongoing trying economic times."

With more than 80 traders, the Christmas market offers shoppers a gastronomic journey around the globe, with offerings including crepes from France, Belgian chocolates and an exotic selection of ostrich, wild boar and crocodile burgers for those with a taste for adventure. There also will be giant bratwurst sold from the iconic Schwenkgrille, Spanish paella and nougat from Italy is also on offer for hungry festive shoppers.

For those who want to buy loved ones something special, handmade gifts carefully crafted by traders from around the world are also showcased: wrap up warm for winter in Peruvian clothing made out of genuine Alpaca wool, update your accessory collection with some Aztec jewellery or style your wardrobe with some Parisian fashion.

Once again, local retailers – including many from St Georges Market – will join the overseas visitors, with around a third of the traders hailing from Belfast and Northern Ireland.

This year, the shopping experience will be enhanced by performances from community choirs, as well as the 'Pickwick Players', who will be performing traditional Dickensian carols, in authentic Victorian costume, as part of the Dickens 2012 bicentenary celebrations. Presenters from media partners U105 also will be broadcasting live from the Market.

(CD)