Christmas Fayre

[gilpin25]

It's the start of the Victorian Christmas Fayre in Worcester tonight, and they were setting things up when I went shopping this morning. Coaches come from miles around and about 100,000 people turn up in the four days it's on. They pretend it's all about buying gifts, but really everyone goes to eat as much as possible with stalls of pies, baked potatoes, cheeses, old fashioned sweets, and cups of mulled wine, along with a few unknown and dubious beverages, which are available everywhere you turn. After all that, suddenly the less than exciting gift stalls are a whole lot more appealing.

And it's quite a spectacle with the market stalls all down the High Street, and all round the cobbled back streets (Worcester has some very old parts); whilst everything is lit with lanterns and fires burn in grates to keep people warm. All the stallholders dress up, and you wander amongst stiltwalkers, gravediggers, singing chimney sweeps and organ grinders (which isn't actually that different from Worcester on a normal day;)) As I was stood behind a Victorian gent in M & S, it did feel very much like a Harry Potter Christmas. We just need some of mrstater's Texan snow.

The gentleman in my icon will give you some idea of the effort people put into their outfits. Of course, he could just have asked David Thewlis if he could borrow something... ;)

Comments

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

As long as you don't expect to do any shopping - the craft stalls aren't very exciting, and you'll be lucky if you get near anyway - and be prepared to lose your temper trying to park, it's great fun. Last year it rained, but the year before was freezing, and everyone was gathered round the fires eating jacket potatoes. It did make me think 'I must put this in an Advent Fic' - then I remembered they're off sledding. ;)

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

Sounds fun ;). There's one in Stratford, too, which I thought we might drive over to one night - if not, we'll just have to make do with the massive German one in Birmingham, I suppose.

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

Don't say I told you so, but the Stratford one's nicer - at least it was when I went four or five years ago. Being smaller everything's closer together, and it's lovely by the river and Royal Shakespeare Theatre when it's all lit up. And you get the same baked potato choice. ;)