A Warwick Students guide to Birmingham Christmas Markets

The Birmingham Christmas Markets are a Warwick student’s cult classic end of term activity, you’ll find it all over Instagram within the radius of week eight to 10. The market advertises itself as the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria, but what do you actually do there?

Naturally, the first thing one thinks of when it’s cold and windy in England at a Christmas market would be getting a drink of choice. The options of supposedly Frankfurtian beer or Baileys hot chocolate covers the remit of every drink sold. The Baileys hot chocolate, I would say, is the cuter and more wholesome choice of the two but does have a £7 price tag.

A pint however, comes in at about £5.50, which is slightly more affordable on a student budget, but your hands may freeze while drinking it in the wind. Overall though, the drinks are a big part of the Birmingham Christmas Market experience and do come with the option to keep the mug/pint glass they are served in, which I feel is a nice touch and they are definitely a worthy keepsake if you can spare the extra £5.

Now, on the topic of food. There is the classic option of the hot dog with lots of different condiments and I will say, they are really good. On the other hand, if you aren’t feeling a whole meal there are churros on sale and while these aren’t exactly German food they are still a worthy snack for a wholesome night at the Christmas market, along with pretzels.

Most Read

Current record holder for sleeping with most men in a day issues stark warning to Lily Phillips

Here’s why the house in Netflix’s No Good Deed looks so incredibly familiar

These are the Russell Group unis with the cleverest lecturers in 2024, and Oxbridge aren’t top

This year at the market, there is a Ferris wheel and StarFlyer, both costing about £13-15 for adults and £12 for students. You can’t have a trip to Birmingham Christmas markets without a trip to the ice rink which I think is the best activity of the lot. While most have a love hate relationship with the ice, depending on your skill level, its an essential winter wholesome activity. Who doesn’t want to spend an hour on the ice skating around and inevitably tripping up your friends in the process?

The ice rink itself is an inside rink though and while you might think that takes away from the outside atmosphere, it does have the benefit of warmth while its bitterly cold outside which I will say, was needed in my trip there. There is also the main stage with some acts singing Christmas songs on it, which is a nice touch, but I feel only really worth a five or so minute stop.

Birmingham Christmas Market to me, really is sweet and a good activity for the end of term one when you’re drowning in assignments and likely still dealing with the remnants of Freshers’ Flu or a new variant of cold that naturally just mutates at uni. It certainly can be a replacement for a club night and a good one at that.

Walking around the market itself is really fun and the whole market is aesthetically pleasing to look at, which helps create a really homely atmosphere. However, while the market is nice, I do wish it did have a couple more activities within it and was slightly more affordable in terms of drinks and food as well as rides. The ice skating is great fun but does feel like the only amazing option there. Either way, I do think it is really worth the trip to go at least once whilst you’re at Warwick.