I visited the two Birmingham city centre Christmas markets and can sum them up in six words

Birmingham has two Christmas markets – but which one is the greatest?

Taste testing a Baileys hot chocolate(Image: Amy Gaffney)

As a self-proclaimed Christmas maniac, words cannot describe how much I love that Birmingham has two markets.

Unfortunately for my family, I start listening to Wham! and stocking up the cupboards with ‘Christmas-only’ food in October (there’s a box of Twiglets that’s been taunting them for weeks). I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t get enough.

This obsession is likely why I’m so pro Christmas Markets. Yes, they get crowded. And yes, they are too expensive. But the lights, the smells, the faint Christmas music in the background as you’re having a mulled wine with friends? It’s unbeatable.

Birmingham Craft Market and Birmingham Christmas Market: Three main differences(Image: Amy Gaffney)

This obsession has led me on a mission: to find out which Christmas Market in Birmingham truly is the best.

We have our traditional The Frankfurt Christmas Market, which is the largest German market in the UK, that stretches all the way down New Street and up to Victoria Square.

And then, in 2021 appeared the Christmas In Cathedral Square Craft Market which is filled with independent retailers from across the Midlands.

The Christmas Tree Ride on Pigeon Park(Image: Kirsty Bosley)

I started my mission at Tim Hortons. It was raining (heavily), but I couldn’t let that put me off. My Christmas spirits stayed high as I began my walk down New Street to judge The Frankfurt Christmas Market.

What really stood out was the variety of things you can buy. There are winter accessories, including £10 thermal socks and £18 beanies, next to house-shaped plant pots (which range from £28 to £32). Whilst there are Christmas-themed gifts for sale, like tree decorations and snow globes (£7 to £25), the stalls sell a huge selection of non-festive trinkets that would make great gifts.

Birmingham Christmas Market: The funkiest flower pots you may ever see(Image: Amy Gaffney)

But just as I was enjoying my deep-dive into the trinkets, I came across a flaw in the market. It stopped.

Just by the infamous McDonalds on the ramp heading into New Street station, the Frankfurt market briefly paused on the tram tracks. Obviously, this is nobody’s fault. Putting a Christmas market on a tram track would come with a plethora of health and safety violations. But it is an unfortunate consequence of having such a huge market span across the city – there are moments where the ‘vibe’ is lost.

The Birmingham Christmas Market – with no market in sight(Image: Amy Gaffney)

However, the food soon pulled me back into the Christmas spirit. The Frankfurt Christmas Market gets it right with their traditional German cuisine. One of the most affordable treats are the pretzels, ranging from £4 to £5. Or, if you’re a little hungrier, you can get a classic bratwurst for £6.50 or a half-metre sausage for £9.

1/2metre bratwurst for £9(Image: Amy Gaffney)

For drinks, The Frankfurt Christmas Market has a great vibe. Whilst it was hardly drinking weather on my drizzly trip to the city centre, seeing all the tables on Victoria square got me excited for my annual girls trip to that very spot – getting merry on £6.50 mulled wines (or £7 pints, depending on our mood) has quickly become a tradition for us over the years.

And a final pro of the Victoria Square bar? A £12 double pint. It’s not the cheapest – but it does stop repeated trips to the bar.

Prices displayed at the Birmingham German Market on October 16(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)

As I headed to St Philips Cathedral, I reflected on my walk up New Street – I didn’t love the Birmingham markets, but was I just expecting too much? Could the Christmas In Cathedral Square Craft Market really top the UK’s biggest German market?

The short answer is yes, it can.

The first thing I saw when walking into the Christmas In Cathedral Square Craft Market was the helter skelter. It’s festive, fun, and utterly unique – exactly where the strengths of this market lie.

Unlike the The Frankfurt Christmas Market, the traders in St Phillips Square are independent traders. There is Brummie’s Funny Pictures, selling posters (£20) and postcards (£3.50) filled with Birmingham-based jokes, as well as Beckford’s home-brewed rum in a range of flavours, from caramel (£27) to banana (£35).

Craft Market: Brummie-based art that will make you giggle(Image: Amy Gaffney)

The food is also more varied, too. Asha’s Indian Restaurant, home to Ed Sheeran’s favourite curry, has a vendor. So does POSH Street Food where you can get a loaded hot dog for £8.

Another unique highlight? The Pigeon in the Park pub – a cosy, Victorian style pop-up boozer, and perhaps the most inviting taproom I’ve ever seen. However it does seem everyone has the same sentiment, as on a popular night, it’s near impossible to get a seat.

Craft Market: The cosy Pigeon in the Park pub(Image: Amy Gaffney)

What really makes the Christmas In Cathedral Square Craft Market so incredible is its size. It’s small, only plotted outside St Phillip’s Cathedral on Pigeon Park, meaning that cosy, festive-feel you want when braving the outdoors in winter is inescapable.

Being centred around such a stunning building means wherever you look, the scene is captivating, and when the sun sets, the lights take over and leave that familiar warmth in your chest only Christmas can bring.

Craft Market: The helter skelter is a stand out(Image: Amy Gaffney)

So, what’s the verdict?

There is nothing wrong with the Birmingham Christmas Market. It has a tonne of gifts (but only some are handmade), traditional German food, and a spacious bar.

But the Christmas In Cathedral Square Craft Market has to take the crown. It is cute, cosy, and sells gifts and food you are unlikely to see anywhere else. It deserves to be shown off – it’s where I’d take my friends who have never seen the city, or what I’d take a picture of if I was to show off my city to the world.

And whilst I discovered what my favourite Christmas market was this year, I also came to an equally satisfying conclusion whilst on my investigation: us Brummies can do Christmas well, and for that, we should be proud.