Birmingham – second largest city in England
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year because of the delicious food, sparkling lights, and getting gifts for your loved ones. My love grew exponentially after I discovered what a German Christmas Market was after visiting Germany last year in December. Christmas Markets are like a Christmas explosion oozing delicious smells, treats, and snacks while encouraging slow walking and gawking at crafts, toys, and all sorts of home made gifts. Did I mention glühwein or the mulled wine drink that is served in adorable collectable ceramic mugs that are specific to each individual market? I am not big into shopping but this is one shopping experience I will always sign up for.
The United States just does not have anything that really compares to the German Christmas Market experience. I have tried several markets in the D.C. area but none give off the same atmosphere. I researched Christmas Markets close to us within the United Kingdom and came across Birmingham. I have vaguely heard of the town but knew nothing about it.
Birmingham is located in the West Midlands county and geographically almost smack in the center of England. In 1838 it was incorporated as a city, and the railway opened linking it to Liverpool and London. Birmingham is the second largest city in England. In 2021 it was estimated to have roughly 2,560,000 people surrounding the city center. This is compared to London with roughly 10,257,700 people. That is huge compared to our current home town of Cambridge which was estimated at 146,995 the same year.
So why is the market in Birmingham and not London? It seems like London would be an obvious choice as it is the capital of England. Frankfurt, Germany is one of Birmingham’s many sister cities and in 1966 Frankfurt and Birmingham signed an economic and cultural partnership agreement to encourage links between schools, universities, and businesses. Probably due to this agreement they did a trial market in 1997 with only 10 stalls and ran it for a single year. The market later returned in 2001 with 24 stalls, and has been run annually ever since. Currently the market has grown to nearly 100 stalls for 2024 and is open throughout November with the last day open being Christmas Eve.
Birmingham is quite central and easy to get to from anywhere in England as it is a main hub. We chose to drive from Cambridge due to railway closures on the weekend causing significant delays and requiring at least four connections involving buses. It was going to take over three hours with transfers and driving was a little under two hours. There are direct trains from London that take roughly two hours, which could be used for a day trip to explore the market.
Now let’s get to the most important part – Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market. We approached from our hotel and saw the ice rink and fair ride set up. There is a large ferris wheel (or for the British a Big Wheel) providing good views of Birmingham. There were also a couple of rides for those seeking more thrills, we quickly bypassed those as we were on the hunt for glühwein and scrumptious snacks.
Following the crowds we made our way towards the giant lit ornaments (or baubles) sitting in Victoria Square. My new favorite Christmas phrase for this year is bauble which is another word for ornament or trinket used to decorate.
Prior to the entrance there are large maps posted to help guide pedestrians to the multiple market locations, and also letting you know about the reindeer hunt. There are nine reindeer scattered throughout Birmingham which is a pretty clever way to trap parents with their kids in the market area until they find them all.
As soon as we entered I felt like I had returned to Germany. Each side of the market was lined with large wooden chalets decorated with Christmas lights, garland and most had large figurines depicting a variety of intricate Christmas scenes on the rooftop. We saw dressed up reindeer, gingerbread men, elves, and snowmen.
There are a few different sausage huts, with one selling half-a-meter long Bratwurst which will set you back £9. For a more reasonable size we chose the smaller Bratwurst due to the lack of a line and also our stomach size. It is cooked on a large grill over open flames. We found a standing table right near the main stage where a violinist was performing Christmas music, adding extra ambience to our meal while we did some excellent people watching.
At the beverage booths they have a large selection of drinks. The nonalcoholic options include kinder punches and hot chocolates. The alcoholic options are the majority of the menu including different mulled beverages – wine, cider, and even gin – and German beer. The major difference from the German markets that I could spot is the variety of beer that is offered. You could buy up to 1L beers served in festive steins which to my surprise is what the majority of visitors were drinking. I also spotted a new type of glassware I have never seen before, a tall pilsner glass with a small handle. Theoretically it makes sense as it should give you more maneuverability while dodging the crowds and enjoying your beer. We stuck with the traditional red glühwein for the afternoon while perusing the shops and of course more people watching.
After successfully purchasing your beverage you can continue down to New Street, the main street for the majority of the market. Workers try to help organize the street by instructing walkers to maintain one way traffic which theoretically should help the flow, if people actually followed the rules. All along the street are wooden chalets selling a variety of different crafts, toys, baubles, and food. We made it to the other side and found the opposite entrance while enjoying fresh hot roasted almonds. This is the first year that Max won me over and I actually enjoyed them. Typically I find them not worth it, as there are so many other tasty morsels to try.
Here we turned around to catch the other side of New Street, since as anxious rule followers we maintained the correct flow of the one way traffic. We ventured up to Birmingham Cathedral which has a smaller Christmas Market around it, and after second glance a large slide. After much discussion on whether adults are only allowed with their tiny humans, I discovered adults can go solo down the slide. At that point though the line was ridiculously long and I agreed to move on without sliding.
If you have time I would recommend a stop in the Birmingham Cathedral, which is free to visit. It will give you a chance to warm up, but also enjoy a bit of history. There are four stained glass windows in the church that were recently restored in 2023. The vibrant colors draw the eye to each side of the church. They were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and installed between 1885 – 1897. Luckily someone had the foresight to remove the stained glass windows during WWII as the church suffered major bomb damage.
The Christmas Market has a different vibrant atmosphere once the sun goes down as all the lights sparkle at their fullest, but the crowds also increase to a new level of insanity. We returned to the Christmas Market at night – meaning after the 4 pm sunset – and tried the Feuerzangenbowle. It is a traditional German drink made of up mulled wine topped with a rum-soaked sugarloaf that is then set on fire and drips down into the mulled wine. I think I prefer the traditional mulled wine to the Feuerzangenbowle for taste alone, and the fire only lasts maybe 2-3 minutes. Those minutes felt like an hour as we moved through a horde of people with flames from our cup trying not to set anyone on fire. Is that even a possibility, probably not, but who wants to take the chance?
Overall we enjoyed the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market and feel like it is worth a quick trip over to see. I love how it is all connected off a main street making it easy to slowly amble your way through while sipping your chosen beverage. There are a variety of food options, including a vegan stall, multiple donut providers, cookies, fudge, hot nuts, and of course variety of sausages. A pro tip: after 5 pm, the crowds increase to almost a mob level making walking difficult, so if you are looking for a calmer atmosphere show up early or on weekdays.