10th Anniversary
Around three million visitors are expected to attend a birthday party with a difference as Birmingham’s world famous Frankfurt Christmas Market celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Instead of birthday cake and pass the parcel, visitors to the annual festive extravaganza can look forward to German mulled wine (Glühwein), grilled sausages and pretzels.
And organisers are promising the event will be bigger and brighter than ever before when it returns next month.
Looking ahead to the event, Leader of Birmingham City Council Mike Whitby said: “We’re expecting a great 10th anniversary birthday party for our Frankfurt Christmas Market, which will run for 36 days! Everyone’s invited, but get there soon as we’re expecting over three million people to turn up!
“I’m extremely proud of the continued success of our Frankfurt Christmas Market. It’s remarkable to think that our market started with just 24 stalls in 2001 and the 10th annual market will have over 180.
“Other cities have understandably tried to emulate Birmingham’s success, but none have been able to reproduce the size, scale, diversity and quality of our Frankfurt Christmas Market, which continues to be the world’s largest German market outside of Germany and Austria – and one of the top five in the world!
“It’s important to stress the fact that the benefits of this annual event stretch far beyond the market itself. Visitors come here and spend money in our shops, restaurants and hotels, adding to the overall economy of the city centre at a critical time of year for retailers and business.
“As we approach the Frankfurt Christmas Market’s 10th birthday, it continues to provide a massive boost to the city’s economy, as well as being an incredibly popular social event.”
The market, which last year attracted a staggering three million visitors and boosted the city’s economy by £89.6million, is open for seven days a week (10am to 9pm) from November 18 to December 23.
Having grown from strength to strength since it was launched in 2001 the Frankfurt Christmas Market is now a major highlight in the city’s calendar and the economic impact has steadily increased.