Belfast's first Virtual Christmas Market starts this week, showcasing food, drink, arts and crafts, and gift items from local businesses and entrepreneurs.
The Christmas Market has become a tradition in cities across Europe, and it's something people look forward to every year in Belfast. The market normally takes over city hall in November, with hundreds of people cramming into the area to buy food, drink, and gift items from across the continent.
The market is normally packed full of people, and the risk of spreading Covid means it couldn't take place this year. Instead, Belfast City Council is starting a brand new Belfast Virtual Christmas Market to help promote local businesses. The market launches on Facebook this Friday 20th November and will run until Sunday 20th December next month.
Businesses can apply for virtual stalls to join the market as part of a Global Entrepreneurship Week initiative, with over 100 local start-ups and businesses registered so far. The general public can then join the market by joining the ‘Buy Belfast Virtual Christmas Market’ private Facebook group to see what's on offer. For more information, head over to www.belfastcitygov.uk/buybelfast
Belfast Lord Mayor, Alderman Frank McCoubrey, said: "The Buy Belfast Virtual Christmas Market is great for small business, and it’s great for consumers too. We’re seeing more and more that people want to shop local, support the city’s businesses and gift something really special at the same time. The pandemic has hit small Belfast businesses and entrepreneurs hard, so we’re supporting them by offering an online platform to showcase and sell their products ahead of Christmas."
Source: Written based on press release
