WHILE travelling back in time isn’t possible, there is one festive attraction that does a pretty good job of transporting visitors back to the past.
The Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre is home to over 200 stalls, where traders dress up in authentic Victorian clothing.
Ever since it first opened in 1992, the market has been a staple in the West Midlands city.
At the market, stallholders typically dress in Victorian garb where they flog handmade gifts and festive treats.
In addition to the themed traders, there are other attractions at the market too, including the Sherlock Holmes stilt walkers and magicians.
There’s also Gin Lane, which is transformed into a playful alleyway where costume characters perform musical numbers.
Gin Lane is set between New Street and The Shambles, and it will be open for visitors at certain times over the weekend.
Meanwhile, there’s Dancefest, a pop-up dance festival, and other characters will also be dishing out performances around the fayre, including the Temperance Lady and Mr Scrooge.
There will also be a series of funfair rides at the market.
But visitors will have to plan their break carefully, because the market is only open for three days from December 1, 2023, to December 3, 2023.
The festive market will officially open on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 4.45pm.
The Victorian market spans several streets in Worcester, including New Street, Friar Street, Pump Street, High Street, the Cornmarket, and Cathedral Square.
Worcester is about a three-hour drive from London, and a 50-minute drive from Birmingham.
Visitors to the market are encouraged to use the city’s Park and Ride at Worcester Crowngate Bus Station in a bid to avoid overcrowding in the city’s car parks.
Worcester city centre is also home to two main stations, which have direct links to Birmingham Moor Street and London Paddington.
In recent years, holidaymakers have been raving about the little-known Christmas market on Facebook too.
One person wrote: “I have been to a few Victorian Christmas markets, and this is definitely the best.”
Another added: “I love this market, the atmosphere is lovely.”
A third said: “The best Christmas Market.”
This isn’t the only Victorian Christmas market in the UK, there’s also a similar market in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Traders at The Stratford-upon-Avon Victorian Christmas Market also wear authentic Victorian clothing.
Just like the market in Worcester, the one in Stratford-upon-Avon is also only open for a few short days in December.
This year the market in Shakespeare’s hometown will run from December 7, 2023, to December 10, 2023.
There are plenty of other Christmas markets in the UK too, including the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham, which is said to be the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany.
Meanwhile, this travel writer thinks their hometown has the best Christmas attraction in the UK.
And for those Brit holidaymakers who fancy a festive break abroad, then there are plenty of unusual Christmas markets waiting to be discovered.
One of those Kerststad Valkenburg a Dutch Christmas market set inside a series of caves.
