Bury St Edmunds Christmas Market

What on earth has happened to the Bury Christmas market ? It used to be amazing, the car park in front of the Angel hotel, the bury ruins, a few lovely big buildings all full with beautiful stalls, mulled wines, lots of food, children's rides, a stage with singing it was buzzing with Christmas fun.

Now it doesn't exist but you don't find out until you get here as it's still advertised as having a Christmas market.

All it is now is a few stalls inside the Cathedral which isn't that big and it shuts at 4.30.

It's by far the worse Christmas market I've ever been to infact it's an insult to even advertise it as a Christmas market.

Shame on you Bury St Edmunds.

Christmas comes too early but at the end of November each year when Bury st Edmunds open up for three days of Festivities we have to go and join in. We have been three times now and get up early to be there in time for breakfast. We park in one of the (two) Park and Ride car parks and journey straight into the Fayre spending the day making our way down to the Cathedral where most of the Christmas stalls are, along with the food market and the fun fair. Then we make our way back, via the modern shopping centre where you are spoiled on where to eat: Nandos, Carluccios, Costa, Muffin Break.

For 600 years the Angel Hill, Bury St. Edmunds was famous for its Michaelmas Fair. From the Middle Ages to the 19th century merchants and members of the gentry flocked to Bury for its renowned Fair. Henry III's tailor was dispatched to Bury Fair to buy his master black and scarlet robes, trimmed with fur. By the 18th century the Fair had the reputation of being a marriage mart for the aristocracy.

In early 2004, St. Edmundsbury Borough Council decided to re-instate the annual Christmas Fayre on the Angel Hill. Bury St. Edmunds Town Council were heavily involved in the organisation of the Fayre, with four members being on the Christmas Fayre Working Group to the Borough Council. As part of its contribution, the Bury St. Edmunds Town Council donated £10,000 to enable the first Fayre to take place. Without this donation, the Fayre very probably would not have taken place at all.

The new Christmas Fayre in 2004 was just as popular as the original and appealed to an even wider audience. Over the three days of December 10,11 & 12 2004, literally thousands of people from all over the country and Europe, descended on Bury St. Edmunds to view and purchase the huge variety of food, drink and goods on offer.

The fayre was so successful that without hesitation it was decided to run the fayre as an annual event with the 2005 event being even bigger than the 2004 event. Be sure not to miss it!