Christmas market

yoginindublin

Any reviews on the xmas market by St. Stephens green? Are there interesting things for sale?

Toto Wolfcastle

I haven't been yet but here are some of the things they have for sale there.

odyssey06

Come into it from Baggot Street end rather than Grafton Street if you can ... there's a queue at the Grafton Street end during busy times.

Most of the hot food and drinks stalls are at Grafton St end.

the groutch

just a heads up, AVOID THE PICK N' MIX SELLER.

he charges €3 per 100g, more than double the price of Sweet Factory in the Stephen's Green Centre, and doesn't have this price on display anywhere, so their plan is that you don't find out how stupidly overpriced it is til you got to pay, and then feel awkward about saying you don't want them.

con1982

The whole thing looked over priced. Not pleasant walking through. It's far too narrow, lots of buggies during the day. The same stalls repeat three times. Very little arts and crafts.

Soulless

the groutch

the whole food & drink setup had a very sports event catering feel to them, and there is no way those burgers were 8oz.

petronius

I notice there is some sort of Christmas market with stalls and a big tent being set up in St. Annes Park.

alias no.9

the groutch wrote: »

the whole food & drink setup had a very sports event catering feel to them, and there is no way those burgers were 8oz.

They were before the fat content was rendered down and water content evaporated off during cooking

Gongoozler

Was in yesterday for a bit. As someone else said, don't bother queuing, if you go to the top of Dawson St there's an entrance where no one is stopping you going in.

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.

ProudDUB

What are the drinks served in? I'm not a fan of coughing up a fiver for hot whiskey that is served in a tiny paper or plastic cup. Not only is it a far smaller serving than you'd generally have made for you in a pub or restaurant, the paper and plastic cups don't keep it hot. You have to knock it back in 2 minutes, or it goes cold.

I love what they do at the Xmas market in Edinburgh. You are served your drink in a mug. You pay a 3 quid deposit with your first drink and you get the deposit back when you return your mug. It's lovely to walk around slowly sipping your drink, while your hands are warmed by the mug.

BowWow

petronius wrote: »

I notice there is some sort of Christmas market with stalls and a big tent being set up in St. Annes Park.

http://www.iomst.ie/event/christmas-kingdom-2014/

GLaDOS

Went in yesterday and wasn't overly impressed by it, half the stalls are hot dogs/Burgers/mulled wine/hot whiskey repeated a few times. Feels fairly cramped at the grafton street end as there is a stall either side so it's hard to have a decent look at the wares.

neckedit

just back from a wee visit......
really poor. Very narrow and a bit cramped. Can't for the life of me understand why it wasn't set up in the Green itself. Would of felt so much nicer and more spacious.

loyatemu

neckedit wrote: »

just back from a wee visit......
really poor. Very narrow and a bit cramped. Can't for the life of me understand why it wasn't set up in the Green itself. Would of felt so much nicer and more spacious.

doesn't the green close when it gets dark?

carlmango11

In my experience Dublin's Christmas markets are pretty crap. Thought it might have been different this year because it was a different location maybe different organisers or whatever. But no, same old s**t according to this thread

jimmii

ProudDUB wrote: »

What are the drinks served in? I'm not a fan of coughing up a fiver for hot whiskey that is served in a tiny paper or plastic cup. Not only is it a far smaller serving than you'd generally have made for you in a pub or restaurant, the paper and plastic cups don't keep it hot. You have to knock it back in 2 minutes, or it goes cold.

I love what they do at the Xmas market in Edinburgh. You are served your drink in a mug. You pay a 3 quid deposit with your first drink and you get the deposit back when you return your mug. It's lovely to walk around slowly sipping your drink, while your hands are warmed by the mug.

It's not a patch on Edinburgh we used to live there and it was great! The mug deposit thing was great I doubt they got many back it was a nice mug for that price we still use them! In Dublin it is a plastic flute the type that are 10 for €1.50 in eurogiant. We went today Burger was nice but its just not a great spot for it not enough for people to be walking in both directions and have people standing at stalls.

neckedit

loyatemu wrote:

doesn't the green close when it gets dark?

possibly. ...but I'm sure that could be changed.

Pete_Cavan

I walked by the SSG market when they were setting things up during the week, I feared then it was going to be too small. A proper market needs space for people to wander and mingle, you dont want to feel like you are just part of a queue waiting your turn to get to the next stall.

I thought straight away this was the wrong location but then I cant think of many more suitable locations with the required space in the city centre, it just highlights how deprived Dublin is of nice, pedestrian friendly open spaces. Smithfield Square, Goerges Dock and Grand Canal Square are all nice spaces but are too far from the core city centre so would not have the same Christmas atmosphere.

I have high hopes for the market in St Annes Park, it should have the required space and they seem to have a few other attractions (Vintage Amusements, Christmas Circus, Festive Train, etc.) which should help with the festive atmosphere.

How Soon Is Now

So just your typical over priced fast food and tacky crap on sale then ya?

Not that im surprised! We seem incapable of doing markets of any kind right over here.

Pete_Cavan

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

So just your typical over priced fast food and tacky crap on sale then ya?

Not that im surprised! We seem incapable of doing markets of any kind right over here.

In fairness, if it was all artisan food and hand crafted gifts, everyone would be here complaining that the market is just for hipsters.

How Soon Is Now

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

In fairness, if it was all artisan food and hand crafted gifts, everyone would be here complaining that the market is just for hipsters.

Either one would be crap to be honest :pac:.

Ah i was just hoping for something with a nice chrismassy feeling ya know. What it sounds like is your basic set up you would find at your average run of the mill rds/city west event.

cgcsb

The posts here are universally negative but I think I'll stick my head in and have a look for myself. Id advise others to do same. If there's one thing Irish people are good at its moaning about places we've never been or things we don't understand.

odyssey06

cgcsb wrote: »

The posts here are universally negative but I think I'll stick my head in and have a look for myself. Id advise others to do same. If there's one thing Irish people are good at its moaning about places we've never been or things we don't understand.

Many of the negative posts are from people who actually attended.
As for things we don't understand... well whoever organised the market doesn't understand how to make use of space or crowd control. There's a massive bottleneck at the Grafton Street end. The stalls should be laid out on a single row, instead of on both sides, taking the full length of that part of Stephens Green.

If you can get a bite to eat and something warm to drink, and a spot to get out of the 'rivers' of pedestrian traffic, could be good craic though.

neckedit

cgcsb wrote:

The posts here are universally negative but I think I'll stick my head in and have a look for myself. Id advise others to do same. If there's one thing Irish people are good at its moaning about places we've never been or things we don't understand.

I think people are being critical not moaning.........could be better is all. I'll head back in during the week......love sausages.

odyssey06

neckedit wrote: »

I'll head back in during the week......love sausages.

There's something special about a hot dog\wurst on a chilly evening... Usually I don't like bratwursts as too seasoned for my liking, but the one I had at the market was lovely. Not sure what type it was though... any pointers welcome.

GLaDOS

I did enjoy my hot punch with Brandy if it counts for anything

Gongoozler

Yeah the location just really doesn't work very well. First thing I thought of is why not inside the park. It'd be fantastic.

And I wasn't moaning about it blindly. I went there and I've been to markets in other European capitals and they actually are Christmas markets.

Will definitely check out St Anne's.

Birneybau

cgcsb wrote: »

The posts here are universally negative but I think I'll stick my head in and have a look for myself. Id advise others to do same. If there's one thing Irish people are good at its moaning about places we've never been or things we don't understand.

It's the lack of forethought that goes into organising almost EVERYTHING in this city that is the issue.

Deenie123

I thought there used to be amusements when it was in the IFSC... Is it just a couple of rows of stalls on the road this time?

neckedit

ScienceNerd wrote:

I did enjoy my hot punch with Brandy if it counts for anything 

nice...id a few of the hot Whiskeys. ....just to take the edge off. Go and enjoy it have a drink and a nibble.......leave feedback on the FB page. Maybe they'll heed some of the criticism and it will go on to bigger and better things

ProudDUB

jimmii wrote: »

It's not a patch on Edinburgh we used to live there and it was great! The mug deposit thing was great I doubt they got many back it was a nice mug for that price we still use them! In Dublin it is a plastic flute the type that are 10 for €1.50 in eurogiant.

Yeah, Edinburgh really is great. They have the right ideas alright. How long have they been doing it? They seem to have it really figured out. They have some really great gift & jewelry wares on offer too. I bought loads of Xmas pressies, when I was there last year. They were the kind of things you wouldn't see in normal shops & were far from being your usual craft market tat. I hope the Stephens Green one is the same, but I'm not holding my breath.

Agree that the Green itself really would be a better spot. String some lights in the trees, have some carolers in the bandstand, & it would be wonderfully atmospheric, with no Luas trams or traffic spoiling the mood. There is plenty of room for the chislers to run around. I'm sure the powers that be could figure out a way to keep it open late, if need be.

The buggies can be a real pain at events like this. They just don't gel with the set up where you have stalls packed together in narrow, confined spaces and people trying to see what each one has, but they can't as buggies are blocking the access to them. I've been to art & craft fairs in the US where buggies are banned. They have a buggy parking bay that is supervised. You park your buggy (for free) and you get a ticket. You don't get the buggy back without the ticket, so its very secure.

Once inside the market, you either carry your chisler or they walk. It works brilliantly & makes the market that much easier to navigate and walk around for everyone. The traders are thrilled too as it leads to increased sales, as people can actually get into see what they have. I've left food stalls at Bloom, as I just couldn't be arsed waiting for someone to move their buggy, so I can get in to see what the stall has. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

There'd probably be riots if someone suggested something like that here. :o:o

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.