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Trim the Turkeys from your Christmas Gift Giving with these 9 Independent London Markets
In the immortal words of Noddy Holder, “It’s CHRISTMAAAS” and there’s no better place to drink in a bit of warm mulled festive spirit (otherwise known as wine) than our beloved capital!
Unfortunately, Christmas markets are often a bit crap, so I've written a little guide to help you shop local and escape the déjà vu of the overpriced tat you’ve seen in every ‘German’ Christmas market for the last 10 years. HURRAH!
So, get ready to paint the town red and green and discover some unique, sustainable shopping experiences which will get your bells jingling.
1. Festive Flea
Delivering a Berlin-style Flohmarkt experience to the capital, Flea London is a beautifully curated event which makes browsing for second hand treats a laid back pleasure instead of a hectic chore.
The emphasis is on sustainable and ethical shopping and anyone can apply to be a trader with stand rental at just £35, so there is a varied and exciting bunch of stalls which might be priced out of other spaces.
When: Flea London takes place every Saturday and Sunday, 11am–5pm.
Where: Vinegar Yard, 72-82 St Thomas Street, London SE1 3QX
Website: flealondon.com
Price: Free entry
2. Benk + Bo Christmas Makers Market
This the fourth Benk + Bo Christmas maker’s market and it promises a handpicked bouquet of London’s coolest designers and makers selling everything from wine to jewellery. Put it this way, if this market was a nativity, there certainly wouldn’t be any donkeys.
When: Saturday 3rd December, 11-5pm.
Where: 4 Gravel Lane, London, England, E1 7AW
Website: https://www.benkandbo.com/makers-market-2022
Price: Free entry
3. Independent Ceramic Market
When: Sunday 11th December, 11am-6pm
Where: Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Road London E1 6LA
Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christmas-independent-ceramics-market-tickets-272064009777
Price: Free entry
4. Satanic Christmas Market
We all have that one friend who bloody hates Christmas and spends December shuffling around mumbling cynical catchphrases like a modern day Scrooge.
This year, tell them to shove this anti-Christmas market in their pipe and smoke it. If taxidermy, zines and actual human skulls aren’t enough of an antidote for the saccharine sweetness of traditional festive markets, there’s no hope for them.
For added counterculture points, it takes place in Angel’s iconic Electrowerkz. A nightclub so goth they used to put kitty litter on the floor to soak up the sweat and vomit. Don’t ask me how I know this…
Oh, and dogs are allowed too!
When: Sunday 11th December, 12pm-6pm
Where: Electrowerkz, 7 Torrens Street, London, EC1V 1NQ
Website: https://www.baphomart.com/satanic-flea-market/
Price: £3 Entry
5. Fulham Palace Christmas Fair
If you have little ones underfoot and want to release them safely into the wild while you do a spot of shopping, Fulham Palace Christmas Fair will suit you down to its resplendent grounds!
The Tudor palace looks enchanting all decked up in it's festive garb and you can even take a piece of the perfectly manicured gardens home with you in the form of stunning handmade wreathes.
When: Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December, 10am-4pm
Where: Bishop's Ave, London SW6 6EA
Website: https://www.fulhampalace.org/whats-on/events/christmas-fair-2022/
Price: £5 adult, £3 child, tickets £1 more on the day
6. Hackney Flea-Mas Market
Over 30 vintage traders clamour together in Stoke Newington to provide a fun retro rummaging experience.
Mid-century furniture jostles with industrial light fittings, french homeware, records and textiles. As a bonus, there are plenty of cafés and pubs off Church Street to stop in for a brioche and breather.
When: Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th December, 11am-6pm
Where: Abney Public Hall, 73A Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0AS
Price: Free entry
7. Finnish Church Christmas Fair
Everyone knows that Scandinavia is the most festive possible place and the Finnish Church Christmas Fair brings some of this Scandi-splendour to Rotherhithe.
Featuring Moomins, mulled wine, reindeer stew with a side of Finnish crafts and a cinnamon bun for desert. Kippis to that!
When: Friday 2nd- Sunday 4th December, Friday 12pm-8pm, Saturday and Sunday 12pm-6pm
Where: The Finnish Church in London, 33 Albion Street, London, SE16 7HZ
Website: https://lontoo.merimieskirkko.fi/the-finnish-church-in-london/#fairs
Price: Free entry
8. DIY Christmas Art Market
An alternative art extravaganza, this Christmas special offers the opportunity to shop limited edition art from 100 stallholders selling treasures crafted by their own fair hands.
I often theme my gifts and buy everyone something they will adore from the same category of pressie and the prints at this fair would really fit the bill if you fancy copying my streamlined approach!
When: Saturday 10th December, 11am-5pm
Where: Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/455855629305357/
Price: £1 entry
9. Cockpit Makers Market
Spread over three floors, this mega market is an open studio event where makers can sell their wares from their workspace.
Home to over 150 makers, Cockpit is a hotspot for discovering creative talent. From high end jewellery to bargain stocking fillers, Cockpit Makers’ Market offers gifts for a wide range of budgets, smashing assumptions that sustainable, local craft is just for those with deep pockets.
When: Friday 2 December - Sunday 4 December, Friday 12pm - 8pm, Saturday & Sunday 12pm - 6pm
Where: Cockpit Arts, Deptford, London, SE8 3DZ
Website: https://cockpitstudios.org/whats-on/cockpit-makers-market-deptford/
Price: In advance £6/On the door £8. Concessions £4 (students, unwaged, registered disabled)
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