This year as restrictions were in place, I planned a solo London Christmas markets photo walk meet-up for exploring the London Christmas markets to support the small local businesses , take and upload photos on Maps and do Map edits for such businesses in London. This meet-up was also a part of #mapsforall series 2021(which focuses on helping local businesses, map Accessibility information, learn, share tips & do fun Map edits to reflect Inclusivity for all). This post is also a part ofWorld wide Christmas challenge #ChristmasInMyCity 2021 by @MariaNgo and #holidaychallenge meet-up by @Denise_Barlock and @jayasimha78 !
I covered the below Christmas markets in the meet-up as they were less crowded and people there were following the norms :
- Covent garden market : The highlight of this market is the 55 foot high Christmas tree right in the centre of the Covent garden market which is surrounded by amazing smelling food and drinks and small local businesses selling Christmas special goodies. The market is fully decorated in the Disney āFrozenā movie style with snowmen , reindeers and characters from the movie !.There is snow every hour between 12 to 7 pm there from 15th November onwards ! There are live musicians, magicians and jugglers performing there.There is a new Covent Garden Christmas Village having a snowy traditional winter town including and a Christmas tree forest featuring eight luxury bauble themed dining domes in partnership with Ramsbury Single Estate Gin, offering bookable banquet experiences.
- Christmas by the river : This is the London Christmas market with the best views in London across the River Thames to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. There are over 70 wooden cabins selling Christmas gifts with an artisan touch and a great selection of food.Itās one of the best placed London Xmas markets for visiting Londonās top sights. Christmas by the River runs from 16th November to 2nd January 2022.
- Leicester square market :This is a traditional Christmas market with Bavarian-style wooden huts selling a range of Christmas goodies right in the heart of London in theatreland. Itās one of the best places in London to see Santa in Grotto. This year they have two Christmas shows : A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker. Christmas in Leicester Square runs from 12th November to 9th January 2022.
- Trafalgar square market : The Trafalgar square has a tradition of having its Christmas tree brought all the way from oslo so its always special. It is usually a Norwegian spruce (Picea abies) over 20 metres high and 50 to 60 years old. It is selected from the forests surrounding Oslo with great care several months, even years, in advance.Every year, since 1947, the people of Norway have given the people of London a Christmas tree. This gift is in gratitude for Britainās support for Norway during World War II. The market has amazing food and Christmas shopping options ranging right from chocolate fudges to bratwurst , mulled wine to handmade Crystal showpieces and baubles ! You can even but customised tree hangings here.
- Greenwich Christmas Market : The Greenwich market is open all year round but at Christmas it transforms into a lovely festive, twinkly space. The market is a historic World Heritage site and is filled with 150 stalls selling a range of Christmas goodies and London themed gifts. There are lots of yummy food stalls to enjoy amazing food too !
- Southbank Centre Winter Market : With plenty of winter pop-up bars and street food stalls, the Winter Market is brimming with festive treats.You can get everything from savoury plates of truffle burgers, fish wraps or gourmet cheese toasties to winter classics like fondue, bratwurst ,eggnog and mince pies, dutch pancakes and other sweet treats.There is also mulled wine , hot chocolate and many traditional Christmas food and drinks !
You can see the meet-up photos, videos and edits on my Maps profile. Here is the London Christmas markets maps listwhere you can find nearly all the Christmas markets in London having an amazing collection of Christmas goodies and delicious delicacies ! What I really loved about all these markets is that all of them not only have amazing local handmade Christmas goodies , decorations , home decor stuff and even delicious homemade Christmas special food and drinks like Christmas pudding , mulled wine , etc. but also have toilets with baby changing station 
and are fully wheelchair accessible ! The atmosphere was filled with the jolly festive season happiness all around with the amazing smell of freshly made local delicacies like freshly made crepes , hot chocolate stands , lovely gingerbread cookies , Christmas special puddings , cakes , pastries , etc ! People were enjoying the live music played there while engrossed in shopping for Christmas goodies ! Exploring these markets make you realise what rich and varied Christmas traditions from so many other countries have become an inherent part of this city ! Each stall reminded me of the Christmas story in that region !
Here is a quick recap of things done at the meet-up :
- Click and upload photos and videos on Maps
- Answer question /answers and do Map edits
- Add the Christmas markets on Maps , add photos and reviews for them
- Make a list of beautiful Christmas markets in London
- Buy local traditional Christmas goodies like Christmas pudding , tassels, baubles , small Christmas gingerbread man shaped cookies , chocolates and homemade fudges , etc and in turn support the small local businesses !
I really enjoyed the meet-up as it was my first Christmas in London and I loved exploring the markets , helping the small local businesses and getting an essence of how London is an amazing city with so many blended cultures and traditions ! I also saw the Christmas lights decorations at various places in London , they were really mesmerising ! I made two small videos and put them in my instagram profile as a summary of the meet-up , you can check them on my instagram(profile link in my signature!) Let me share them here too : Christmas_in_London_video_1 and Christmas_in_London_video_2.
How is Christmas celebrated in your city or country? Are there Christmas special markets in your area too? I would love to know how you celebrated Christmas 2021in the comments below !
