This year there will be a couple of new additions
Crowds at Bristol Christmas Market in 2023(Image: Bristol Live)
Bristol city centre could be looking a lot like Christmas in just a couple of weeks’ time. Planning documents have revealed the set-up date for the Broadmead market – and it’s much sooner than shoppers might imagine.
Though the market itself won’t be open to the public until November 7, the annual arrival of alpine-style wooden huts will begin before most people have even bought their Halloween costumes.
Bristol City Council’s planning approval for Relevention Limited, the company that stages the market, states as a condition: “Set-up of the market shall only take place from 26.10.2025 until the market is opened to customers.
“All stalls and equipment associated with the market use shall be removed, and the land returned to its former condition, on or before 30.12.2025.”
This means set-up could commence on Sunday, October 26 – exactly two weeks away. The site will have to be cleared by December 30 at the very latest, the day before New Year’s Eve.
The market will be open to shoppers from November 7 until December 23, with daily timings of 10am-7pm for gift stalls and 10am-10pm for food stalls and bars.
More than 40 stalls are expected alongside the return of the Jäger Barn Bar, which will host a selection of live music from local performers from Thursdays to Sundays. New for 2025 is the Glissè Bar, located at the opposite end of the market, offering the same festive range of drinks but in a more intimate setting.
Visitors keen for a cosier experience will be able to book out the ski gondolas once again, as well as one of the new hot air balloon booths nestled within the Jäger Barn Bar to enjoy a food platter and drinks.
Plans for the market were submitted back in April, with other new additions confirmed including a Christmas tree fairground ride and an even bigger Yorkshire Pudding Wrap hut, which has been permitted a second storey this year.
Other features outlined in the plans included the return of the 15m-high ferris wheel, a Father Christmas train ride and dozens of food outlets and stalls. A ‘virtual reality sledge ride’ is also being advertised.