Shiny lights, Christmas timber and quite a few cups of mulled wine outline the picture of many Christmas markets. Some cities and showmen at the moment are happy with this yr’s season of Hessian Christmas markets. Both that Wetter and the gross sales had been proper.
The metropolis of Frankfurt is happy about elevated customer numbers this yr: round 2.3 million folks got here to the Christmas market, “assuming a smooth last weekend”. The longer Advent season in comparison with the earlier yr and the comparatively good climate from the second week of the occasion would have contributed to this.
Even after the criticism concerning the Christmas market cups, there have been no severe shortages as replacements had been obtained inside per week. Around 50,000 newly manufactured cups had been recalled shortly earlier than the opening of the Christmas market as a result of they proved to be not heat-resistant.
Good climate helps stand operators
“I would take every year like this,” says stand operator Markus Eiserloh, giving a constantly constructive evaluation. He and his spouse Monika have been operating the “Süße Mandelbar” on the Frankfurt Christmas marketplace for 24 years. “It wasn’t that cold, which was good,” says Eiserloh. The climate performs extra of a task for guests dwelling in Frankfurt anyway. Bad climate wouldn’t cease vacationers who went on a river cruise from visiting the Christmas market.
Staff is all the time troublesome to search out – however Eiserloh is fortunate: a few of his workers have come particularly from Greece for the third yr in a row. They come from the lodge and catering trade and have time from October onwards, as the primary season there will probably be over. They met on trip in Crete.
Higher prices with barely elevated gross sales
But there’s one adverse level: the products have grow to be considerably costlier to buy. The worth of white chocolate has greater than doubled.
The Hessian Showmen’s Association can underline this. Sales elevated barely in comparison with the earlier yr. The gross sales will increase fluctuate from product vary to product vary, “the bottom line is that we roughly have an increase of two to three percent,” stated Roger Simak from the State Association for Market Trade and Showmen (LMS). However, on the similar time, the prices for personnel, vitality, uncooked supplies, buying of products and administrative bills would have elevated by 5 to fifteen p.c, relying on the product vary.
Christmas markets are fashionable all through Hesse
And it isn’t simply the Frankfurt Christmas market that could be a magnet for guests. Around 2.3 million guests additionally attended the Kassel fairytale Christmas market this yr. The focus was on the fairy story “Sterntaler” by the Brothers Grimm. A high-wire artist thrilled guests as a flying Santa Claus.
According to town, the Fuldaer attracted 760,000 guests this yr. The excessive customer frequency is straight mirrored available in the market’s financial energy of round 19 million euros, it stated. In Darmstadt, the provide and the stands had been effectively acquired, town stated. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes and drinks had been significantly fashionable. “Numerous visitors ensured happy faces among the showmen,” stated a spokesman.
Dubai development would not all the time catch on
Patrick Hausmann from the “Altstadt-Grill” on the Frankfurt Christmas market significantly seen the nice temper among the many guests. “Even if it took a moment longer at the weekend, everyone was nice and considerate,” says Hausmann. During the week, the Christmas market was additionally an “after-work” assembly place for a lot of firms that wished to convey their workers collectively once more from dwelling workplaces.
At his stand with round 20 workers, he sells bratwurst, kidney skewers, potato pancakes and mulled wine. Given the Dubai development of meals containing pistachios, he additionally considered a Dubai bratwurst this yr – however then determined in opposition to it. He has been providing candy, Christmas-themed creations for a very long time – resembling a currywurst with speculoos or a bratwurst full of plums and nuts.
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https://www.zeit.de/news/2024-12/20/staedte-und-schausteller-zufrieden-mit-weihnachtsmarktsaison