Organisers of Bath’s highly successful Christmas Market are urging city traders to forgot the heatwave and look ahead to the festive season by booking their chalet now.
The deadline to reserve space at the market – which this year will be between Thursday November 23 and Sunday December 10, subject to planning and licensing consent – is June 5. 
The biggest shopping event in the South West, this year’s market will be the 17th.
Last year’s market attracted 429,000 visitors, spending £5.1m between them. The market is widely regarded as one of the best in the country – largely due to the strict policy of ensuring that traders booking one of the 174 wooden chalets are small, local crafts people and businesses, mostly selling high-quality products they have made themselves.
Last year 85% of stallholders came from the South West and 82.5% said the market offered new leads and business.
Market organiser Bath Tourism Plus had wanted to extend it from 18 to 25 days this year but came up against opposition from residents’ bodies.
Chief executive David James said the idea behind the longer selling period was not to attract more visitors but to spread the numbers over more days and so avoid the congestion associated with the market over recent years as its success has grown.
“Bath’s Christmas Market is not just about making money,” he said. “It’s more than a Christmas market – it’s part of our tourist offer. If we wanted to make more money we’d take a ‘stack ‘em, high, sell ‘em cheap’ approach and have traders selling imported rubbish like a lot of other Christmas markets do.
“But we stick to our policy of having local businesses selling handmade products. We want to hear from local producers. Our Christmas Market offers a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their talents and boost their sales.”
Among those at last year’s market was Chilcompton-based Four Legged Fancies, which produces handmade dog biscuits, birthday cakes and unique toys and gifts from its specialist bakery,
Owner Victoria Stent said: “Bath Christmas Market accounts for a third of all my trade for the whole year. Our wholesale has doubled year after year and I really believe part of this is due to the sheer numbers of customers we meet at Bath.”
Upper Weston-based Firewater Gallery, which specialises in modern maps and urban art, booked a chalet at the market for the first time last year. Co-owner Rebecca Walsh said: “It is incredible for business, both in terms of immediate sales and the uptake afterwards for online and repeat orders. We made several important contacts that look likely to develop into significant new directions for our business.”
The market is supporting small local start-ups unable to trade for the full 18 days by offering dedicated short-term lets in Bath Street for seven or 11 days.
Bath Tourism Plus said: “Each year newcomers to the event comment on the sense of community and fun generated by being surrounded by hundreds of similarly dedicated stallholders, as well as so many enthusiastic visitors. This leads to many stallholders who first appear at Bath Christmas Market on a seven-day let, return for a longer let the following year.
Information on how to apply for a chalet at Bath Christmas Market 2017 can be downloaded from www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk
