The city of Birmingham is a vibrant place to be on any night in the lead up to Christmas. The German Christmas Market is in town and is a good night out. There are food, gift and drink stalls selling a variety of gifts, food and drink.
The German Christmas market stretches from the Museum and Art Gallery down New Street towards The Bullring. The library area towards the theatres and the centenary square has an ice rink. Also in the square is a Ferris wheel and the City Flyer ride, amongst other things.
Birmingham Christmas Markets Map
Throughout the festive sites, there are maps of all the festive fun happening in Birmingham. This includes the main German Christmas Market, other festive markets and fun things going on.
Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham
The Frankfurt Christmas Market is located from The Bullring along New Street towards BMAG. There is entertainment, including a live singer and even a carousel. Food ranges from hot-dogs with German bratwurst sausages, roast ham, cakes and chocolate. Drinks include many German favourites from beer or lager in litre glasses to schnapps and other shots.
From experience, most nights are vibrant and have a pleasant atmosphere, even in the cold or rain. I recently enjoyed bratwurst, onions in a bun and ham, sauerkraut and baked potato. I washed the delicious food down with Hofbrau beer and a Jagermeister for the road.
My last visit this made me reminisce about visiting Christkindlesmarkt on my Inter-rail adventure. Christkindlesmarkt is a yearly Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany.
Stalls At The German Market
There are various stalls at the German Christmas Markets. Many of these sell food and drink to enjoy while soaking up the vibe.
I love a good German beer and Gluhwein, thus the bars certainly play a big part in visiting for me. Their beers tend to be good, albeit pricey, however they hit the spot. You need to pay a deposit for glasses or you can keep them. They have covered areas to stand and drink if the weather is not great or you fancy being social.
When visiting the German Christmas markets, Bratwurst is on top of my list for street food to enjoy. They serve many types and I’ve found them delicious especially the spicy bratwurst. They also serve some giant half-metre versions for those that like a challenge.
Carousell
They have a lovely carrousel in the heart of the action in Victoria Square. This is a more relaxing option compared to the high rides at Centenary Square. I really enjoyed with my wife as a couple and it’s also family friendly fun.
Entertainment in Victoria Square
In Victoria Sqaure at the Xmas markets, they have a singer who has a small stage above one of the festive bars. He sings many songs, including Christmas hits and other popular music. We really enjoy the entertainment here and usually choose to drink nearby to soak up the vibe.
Xmas Tree
The main Christmas tree is in Victoria square in the heart of the German market. It’s nicely decorated and takes centre stage. There are other trees throughout the city, but this is the biggest.
Fun & Rides At Centenary Square at Christmas
Just along from BMAG towards Brindley Place is Centenary Square, near to the new library. Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. There are various rides and fun activities at Centenary Square
Ice Rink
The ice rink in Centenary Square is where people of all abilities can skate on the ice. One of the popular romantic Xmas activities enjoyed by couples.
Big Wheel a Fantastic Ferris Wheel With Views
A big wheel is located here with magnificent views across the city at night or in the day. I enjoyed a late evening ride on the Ferris Wheel on a cold wet night, but thoroughly enjoyed the view and took a few photographs. The Ferris Wheel was well worth the £5 entry for a one-off or to get a perfect photo.
City Flyer for Magnificent Views
The city flyer is a ride not for the faint-hearted or those that fear heights. The city flyer towers above the city at over 50 metres tall. Your legs dangle as the ride spins, getting superb views of the area and better than the big wheel. I had my camera attached to my wrist to get some great night time skyline photos. This ride was great and felt very safe, despite my mild dislike of heights. A great activity for a date and liven up a night with the other half and get some adrenaline going.
This ride is very similar to the Pater Turm, a ride at the iconic Prater Amusement Park in Vienna.
Christmas Market At Birmingham Cathedral & Pigeon Park
Another of the Christmas markets in the city is the market at Birmingham Cathedral. There are stalls throughout pigeon park which are a bit different from the german market. The park is nicely decorated and the church building makes for a great backdrop.
The stalls here have an international flavour and some local dishes too. One that stood out for me was the balti stall. You can also purchase balti bowls at this market too.
Another stand out feature was the temporary pub in the park, Pigeon in the Park Pub. They have a bar like any other pub but with outside seating including on a roof terrace with views of the market decorations.
Another interesting bar at the cathedral was the helter-skelter bar. This is basically a helter-skelter fairground ride with a bar at the base. They have a covered terrace for drinks in the park.
Other food stalls included crepes and donuts for those with a sweet tooth.
Christmas Shopping in Birmingham
Birmingham is an excellent place to visit to do your Christmas shopping. There are many good shops to visit in the city. This includes many wonderful options in the Bullring and the mailbox shopping centres.
There are also many options for shops for gifts on the High Street and the roads where the Christmas markets are located. Cannon Street and the Great Western Arcade are my favourites. If you’re looking to buy some interesting Xmas meal options, the city has many good food shops.
Review of Christmas Markets In Birmingham
The area by the markets and the main squares are rather nice. Food, including bratwurst and roast ham with sauerkraut, are some of my favourites. The beer on tap is great too. You can even choose the size of your glasses, including some rather big options.
The Christmas fun stretches beyond the German Christmas Market, giving you more options. Colmore Row was pretty good and less crowded. The food options were also good. The main downslide for me was the food delivery people on bikes with no consideration for other people’s safety. It certainly seems to be a growing issue in many places we’ve visited.
How cool the city sports a ‘Frankfurt Xmas Market’! Love Frankfurt and its Xmas market, even though most Germans wouldn’t think of Frankfurt when they think of Xmas markets.
Birmingham has been twinned with Frankfurt for over 50 years which is why the link apparently. Frankfurt was a nice market, not on the same level as Nuremberg though.