Here’s everything you need to know to avoid disappointment at Liverpool’s Christmas market

Everybody knows that the Liverpool Christmas market is a much-anticipated event for locals and students alike. Situated opposite Liverpool Lime Street and right outside St George’s Hall, most people have no doubt already visited, or at least walked past and heard the cheery music. You’ve probably seen the twinkling lights around every stall and smelt the mulled wine (which is inescapable in the market).

With the big festive day fast approaching and term ending this week, now’s your time to treat yourself to a fancy hot chocolate and some sweet snacks. If you haven’t yet had the chance to head down, or have been but not made the most of your trip, here is a guide of how to avoid disappointment at the Liverpool Christmas market, from a student who works there – come say hi to me on the bar when you visit!

The first elephant in the room to address is: If you’re expecting the Manchester markets, go to the Manchester markets. It’s only a 50 minute train from Lime Street into Piccadilly, and they have ice skating there! The ice skating at the Bombed Out Church gets less than stellar reviews, apparently. However, while Manchester does have ice skating and good live music, here are some things Liverpool has that Manchester doesn’t… 

If you’re looking for the classic Christmas markets experience, then Liverpool can offer you a wintery ferris wheel ride, providing views of The Empire Theatre, St George’s Hall, and Liverpool city centre. The highlight of that is being able to see into the windows of the nearest Wetherspoons.

Most Read

Omg, a MAFS UK scandal has erupted as 2023 bride says she got with Kieran after filming!

Lily Phillips shares four gross mistakes she made while sleeping with 100 men in one day

Vanessa reveals heartbreaking reason she unexpectedly quit The Ultimatum with Dave

Also providing a classic funfair experience is the numerous fairground games stalls, including hook a duck, darts, and knocking bottles and cans over to win a range of prizes and soft toys, from penguins to highland cows. Finally on this list is the Liverpool Funhouse, where you can be spun around a hamster wheel, balance across the rapids, climb up moving staircases, and much more excitement can be found inside.

Another elephant in the room to address are the spending costs. The best advice to give here is expect to spend, as it is as expensive as roughly any other Christmas market across the country. My tips would be to have dinner beforehand and bring snacks if you don’t want to spend money on food, as it all smells great and is very tempting! If you are interested in eating, all the food stands roughly cost the same, so just go where your stomach takes you (more on that later).

The alcohol served isn’t extortionate but also isn’t as cheap as a £3 bottle of rosé from Aldi, so I wouldn’t recommend it as the best place for pres if you’re on a budget. 

However, if you’re not interested in drinking at the Christmas market or are planning on bringing younger siblings, there are plenty of non-alcoholic options too. Every drinks vendor offers standard hot chocolates with whipped cream and marshmallows even if they’re only advertising Bailey’s, and most of the larger bars offer alcohol-free beer, soft drinks, and bottled water. 

Now, onto the food. Some personal highlights and recommendations from friends are, of course, the classic German sausages stall where you can have a bratwurst and pretend you’re in Berlin, or the gyros stall that offers both meat and veggie options – the is halloumi to die for. Additionally, there is a great authentic Indian curry stall almost at the end of the market which always has a long queue, as what better way is there to warm yourself up than with a spicy curry?

If you’re just looking for some light food, there is a great stall that serves fries and my personal favourite of curly fries, and the apple crumble stand can always be relied on to have dessert with the queue to finish your meal off with. 

My final piece of advice would be to wrap up warm! Get those hats, scarves and gloves out because even in the teepees, you can still feel the chill, especially at the top of the Windmill Bar which, whilst very scenic, does live up to its windy name.

Snap some Instagram pics wrapped up in a scarf with your hot chocolate (with or without Bailey’s, we won’t judge), and bring durable shoes – it gets slippery on the cobblestones! Go with friends, with family, or even on your own. As long as you love the Christmas spirit, you’ll love the Christmas markets.