BlueB
Been understandably very, very controversial with all the shop owners here. Bunch of them have posters in their windows calling for it to be brought back. Truth is it just became too big and crowded to police last year, people were getting pushed around and panicking.
Haven't been to the Brum one for a couple of years, but hasn't it always been a glorified piss-up with rubbish stands and a bit of music?
Need to sell chitterlings , tripe and onions, nice hot pigs ears, stir fried scrag ends and roasted chestnuts. Local flavour.
thebluepruneHaven't been to the Brum one for a couple of years, but hasn't it always been a glorified piss-up with rubbish stands and a bit of music?
It has become that very much so. I think to begin with it was good there always used to be a couple of the beer stalls who whould bring some of the proper stuff over with them from Frankfurt in bottles you could politely ask for and obviously that was all before any sort of craft beer explosion in the UK. We're going back to the very early 2000's here. Dunno about the musak
I walked through about 3 weeks back, I was playing a gig in town and so thought I’d have a look. Yeah food and drink, nothing else.
I only went once before, 2012. The amount of people was ridiculous. I literally was lifted off the floor outside the council house. It was so scary, we left as soon as we could but it took about 45 min to get over to the mailbox
RibeyeSpikeIt's not for me and never has been.
But I do think it's another thing we do ourselves down for, it is very popular and a lot of people come from a long way off and enjoy it.
My wife was talking to a couple of Czech women in town on Saturday, they both live in London but had come to Brum for the weekend for the German Market and they thought it was fantastic.
It took me less than 15 mins to get there. If it took any longer I'd be pissed off. I've been almost every year since it started and this year's is by far the worst. I can't tell you how disappointing it is.
I think they need to get away from overpriced hot dogs that cost more than the minimum wage and make it unique to Birmingham some how. Lower the rates and get some bespoke stuff on sale. There's some talented people in the city we need to focus on. Surely there's some artists and jewellers (maybe only costume stuff due to value/security) about who can sell their stuff there? Even though it's more food there has to be places like original patty men who'd make a fortune up there? We're known for the balti but yet no stalls selling it anywhere it's strange. City of a thousand trades and all we can manage is a few hot dog stalls and beer it's piss poor.
People get so het up about this it's weird, it's absolutely packed every single year. Brummies go once and it loses it's newness, then every year say bah humbug it's rubbish. I've been to the stratford market loads of times, it's a different type of offering. I live in London and the touristy markets here imo are shite (ie spitalfields/camden etc) but they're permanently packed too. These aren't the kinds of things that are real artisanal fare, it's always been tat but it's an excuse to spend time with others and for the kids to go on a carousel.
I agree birmingham city centre itself is a bit of a dive at the moment but the market is a relative highlight!
I visited the Gloucester Christmas market at the weekend and it was far far better than I expected.
Its only on Saturdays and Sundays during November and December and was full of speciality food and drink stalls alongside gift stalls.
It is at the docks rather than in the town centre and there is a large ice skating rink in the quadrangle outside of the "High constable of Gloucestershire" pub . Add in all of the bars, coffee shops and restaurants that are there year round and its a decent day out if that is your thing.
Also the new food dock is now open situated at the top of the docks (Town centre side) and this is just food and beverage led with more opening in the next few weeks. Had a few beers with the lads at the Hop kettle a few weeks ago and they had a good range of beers.
For anyone who give a toss then a few links below.
[www.hop-kettle.com]
[gloucesterfooddock.co.uk]
[www.gloucesterquays.co.uk]
RibeyeSpikeIt's not for me and never has been.
But I do think it's another thing we do ourselves down for, it is very popular and a lot of people come from a long way off and enjoy it.
My wife was talking to a couple of Czech women in town on Saturday, they both live in London but had come to Brum for the weekend for the German Market and they thought it was fantastic.
It took me less than 15 mins to get there. If it took any longer I'd be pissed off. I've been almost every year since it started and this year's is by far the worst. I can't tell you how disappointing it is.
I think they need to get away from overpriced hot dogs that cost more than the minimum wage and make it unique to Birmingham some how. Lower the rates and get some bespoke stuff on sale. There's some talented people in the city we need to focus on. Surely there's some artists and jewellers (maybe only costume stuff due to value/security) about who can sell their stuff there? Even though it's more food there has to be places like original patty men who'd make a fortune up there? We're known for the balti but yet no stalls selling it anywhere it's strange. City of a thousand trades and all we can manage is a few hot dog stalls and beer it's piss poor.
Assume you didn't go to the craft fair in the Cathedral grounds?
RibeyegesannersMore of a plastic Polish market really but it does somehow manage to bring a lot of visitors to the city
I don't think it gives them a reason to come back.
Rarely go up town but found it disappointing.
Grand central seems dark and dreary and the ceilings are too low. Preferred the palasades. They really need to fill what was John Lewis with something decent.
New street needs a good clean and corporation street at the top end just needs a bomb dropping on it along with dale end. Used to like oasis market, the old blues shop, foster brothers, toys r us etc. now it's just depressing with pound land and KFC.
High street not great either, massive gap left by Marks and Spencer moving and then there's a bloke trying to covert passers by to Islam outside Primark.
Doesn't have the buzz up there that it had years ago, not sure whether the bullring or online shopping has caused it. I know it was a Monday afternoon but 20 years ago it was buzzing up there. Walking up the ramp to the pallasdes wasn't for the faint hearted now it's dead.
Cos people who made it like that twenty years ago stopped going for twenty years.
KristoffPigeon Park’s market had been like that the last few years. Hand made gifts and food items made by local artists and vendors. I’ve not been up there this year so can’t comment though.
The market at Pidgeon Park here is brilliant. But my god there are some miserable effers in here today. The German market is fab and unique in being sponsored by Frankfurt. This is part of the reason Brum has such a shit reputation...everyone saying the city is shit. Someone on here said Pallasades wss better than Grand Central...they want locking up.
RibeyegesannersMore of a plastic Polish market really but it does somehow manage to bring a lot of visitors to the city
Grand central seems dark and dreary and the ceilings are too low. Preferred the palasades. They really need to fill what was John Lewis with something decent.
You do realise Grand Central has an absolutely massive ceiling? You know the bit in the middle. Oh and the low ceilings elsewhere are the bits that used to be Pallasades, which, er, had low ceilings. Jeez some people need a relity check. The refurb cost over 750 million quid you do realise?
Haircut1000KristoffPigeon Park’s market had been like that the last few years. Hand made gifts and food items made by local artists and vendors. I’ve not been up there this year so can’t comment though.
The market at Pidgeon Park here is brilliant. But my god there are some miserable effers in here today. The German market is fab and unique in being sponsored by Frankfurt. This is part of the reason Brum has such a shit reputation...everyone saying the city is shit. Someone on here said Pallasades wss better than Grand Central...they want locking up.
It's not, it's shit.
Compare it to Vienna, Prague, Budapest and then tell me it's fab.
The thing is you are suggesting the Dale End was good at some point. Even as a kid in the 90s I could tell it was a shit hole down there.
Toys R Us was ace obviously.
There was a shop called Mad House or something where everything was about four quid.
I did like Oasis but that thrived on it being a cheap area naturally, but basically became another inshops with some of the shops in there in the end.
You can't compare it to major historical cultural capitals like that either. They all built their buildings before Birmingham was more than a village.