Newbury Christmas Market, Disappointing? Options

[ebalch]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/christm...pporting-trader

I'm not that surprised to hear that the Newbury Christmas Market has been billed as "disappointing". I've been in to town numerous times since it's been open (according to the article) and must admit I didn't even notice it! I couldn't now even tell you where it was. I saw a couple of huts on the corner of Bart Street at the Town Hall but thought these were the usual Saturday market stands.

Say what you like about the previous year's market in Victoria Park but at least it was visible!

[BB01635]

I don't remember seeing it advertised even, like you I saw a couple of stalls and thought they were part of the regular market, if the organisers are disappointed sorry but they only have themselves to vlame for the lack of advertising

[TheObserver]

You would have thought that given the disappointing trader and shopper turn out that Newbury BID would have slashed the cost of the cabins to try to drive some additional footfall through over the last few days.. Ive heard that its charged at £80 a day..

Its a shame it didn't work out, its not been greatly advertised, its poorly sign posted in town too.. I think the problem lies with the length of time the market is run over, against the possible footfall of shoppers in town.. Running the market over a 4 day window would have generate better public engagement as the visits would be compressed, not only improving the turnout, but also creating more of an atmosphere in and around the town.

The number of food stalls has to be down to poor management from the outsourced company, there's really no excuse for booking too many of the same stall...

Its still possible to host a Christmas Market in smaller towns, it just needs to be more of an event..

[spartacus]

I never saw last year's market AT ALL as Viccy Park isn' t somewhere I would normally walk past.
However crap this year's effort is it does at least benefit from being somewhere that more people walk past in a normal day - but it's a bit like the visible beggars on Bridge Street or the visible Big Issue seller, you know they're there but they're not something that's attracting you or something that's going to get you to part with your money.

The problem is that there are just too many of these faux 'Christmas Markets' springing up in every small town across the country and selling absolute $hite or pretending to be the genuine article just because they're selling German bratwurst (bought from Aldi at £1 for pack of 4 and sold at £4 each!) or Gluhwein (warmed cheap red plonk bought by the gallon from Lidl and sold at huge mark-up)
I think we've all become a bit weary of the Christmas tat

[spartacus]

Go to a proper Christmas Market in any small town in Germany and I think it highly unlikely that you'll find someone stood in their wooden shed trying to flog you a 'turbo shower' (ffs what sort of a stall was that?)

[JeffG]

They used a "professional events organiser". From what I've read it sounds a bit like the sort of thing they would have as a task on "The Apprentice".

[Turin Machine]

Hey! They got rats! Now that's worth going for! Gotta luv a nice furry rat.

[Sherlock]

I can't imagine the stalls increased footfall or income for the town's permanent retailers, or would have been likely to do so even if there had been more/some good quality Christmas related goods.

Perhaps in future a few - say 8-10 - stalls/sheds - could be provided in the market place, at cost, for charities and other local groups to sell decent merchandise (wrapping paper, decorations, cards, Christmas ornaments, good quality food). This could be done on one or two weekends at the beginning of December and would help fill out the Saturday market which tends to be a bit sparse in the winter.

[jimborae]

I never saw last year's market AT ALL as Viccy Park isn' t somewhere I would normally walk past.
However crap this year's effort is it does at least benefit from being somewhere that more people walk past in a normal day - but it's a bit like the visible beggars on Bridge Street or the visible Big Issue seller, you know they're there but they're not something that's attracting you or something that's going to get you to part with your money.

The problem is that there are just too many of these faux 'Christmas Markets' springing up in every small town across the country and selling absolute $hite or pretending to be the genuine article just because they're selling German bratwurst (bought from Aldi at £1 for pack of 4 and sold at £4 each!) or Gluhwein (warmed cheap red plonk bought by the gallon from Lidl and sold at huge mark-up)
I think we've all become a bit weary of the Christmas tat

Well said, better not to have a Xmas market at all rather than have some poor, over priced, crap pastiche of the real thing ruining the festive spirit!

[Biker1]

Wow, two Christmas Market threads!
Pity it wasn't done sooner and then more would have heard of it.
Nothing like free advertising!
I didn't know it was there until I saw it on here. Must have walked past without noticing!

[Nothing Much]

flog you a 'turbo shower' (ffs what sort of a stall was that?)
A shower stall?

There is a batch of sheds at a local N1 shopping area, a bit sad looking.
I shall probably buy a chocolate screwdriver...
ce

[Ciderdrinker]

Well I was a bit disappointed, lacks any atmosphere. To be honest it was the wrong location.

In Newbury there a limited number of places you fit a proper xmas market. The Park, the Warf or the market places. Apparently the council would not have it in the market due to the charted market, but surely for 1 week or 2 they could go down the high street?

I hope they try again next year with a better location, maybe get the whole town involved in festive event, maybe like the hungerford victorian extravaganza.

[On the edge]

Why bother at all? Let's be honest a Christmas Market ain't exactly novel or different! Let's have some ideas for a more unique crowd pulling attraction; rather than same old, same old. It's rather ironic that lots of folks who say they are disappointed that it isn't the usual tat fest that happens in many other towns are the very ones who say they don't come to Newbury no more 'cos they don't like paying a little bit to park. Come on, we've tried the festive shed idea twice; didn't work, let's move on and get something quality.

[Cognosco]

Hey! They got rats! Now that's worth going for! Gotta luv a nice furry rat.

Hey you can't say that about our dressed up Councillors!

[Cognosco]

Why bother at all? Let's be honest a Christmas Market ain't exactly novel or different! Let's have some ideas for a more unique crowd pulling attraction; rather than same old, same old. It's rather ironic that lots of folks who say they are disappointed that it isn't the usual tat fest that happens in many other towns are the very ones who say they don't come to Newbury no more 'cos they don't like paying a little bit to park. Come on, we've tried the festive shed idea twice; didn't work, let's move on and get something quality.

It was about 20 years ago but as usual Newbury starts something just as it is dying the death.
They only follow where others lead.......shame it takes so long or they don't lead for others to follow?

[James_Trinder]

In my opinion it may not be the best Christmas market ever but it is preferable to doing nothing and if it is not funded by the public then we are not losing out financially and I am sure that the contractor in charge of it will take this feedback into account and make improvements to it next year in the event that they are actually allowed to come back and have a go at it again.

By the way, Simon Kirby, I enjoyed watching your interview on South Today last night.

[Exhausted]

By the way, Simon Kirby, I enjoyed watching your interview on South Today last night.

Only a few words on the work on Bull's Lock and not a single word on the allotments or Newbury Town Council but an interesting little video article by the BBC all the same.

[Simon Kirby]

By the way, Simon Kirby, I enjoyed watching your interview on South Today last night.

Cheers matey!

[spartacus]

In my opinion it may not be the best Christmas market ever but it is preferable to doing nothing

Why the desperate need to be seen to be doing something just for the sake of it? If something's worth doing it's either worth doing properly, or not at all. And this half-ar$ed effort should have gone into the 'save the town the embarrassment' category

I am sure that the contractor in charge of it will take this feedback into account and make improvements to it next year

Well as someone has said, if the stalls were being charged at £80 a DAY then the stall holders were naive in thinking they were going to make a killing from selling the sort of cheap junk on offer. That's 20 of those cheap tasteless german sausages to be sold before they can even think of making anything

[Weavers Walk]

Someone must have been in charge of this. Someone must have either been chosen or stepped up to organise a Market. What experience had they got? What kind of track record? If they were chosen, what made the others think this person could do it?

Whatever happened they stand revealed as at best incompetent and at worse deluded. Do you think they'll have the decency to resign?

Come on N.W.N. name and shame.