Credit to Jonathan Farber for the photographs used
Knutsford Christmas Market, the annual festive community market in Knutsford, has been postponed to Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th December.
The market was due to be held on 27th and 28th November but had to be moved due to the second lockdown. The market will run from 11am to 4pm each day.
The market forms part of Knutsford Town Council's wider Christmas celebrations which normally includes the Santa Parade and Christmas Light Switch On, but unfortunately due to Covid-19 these other features of the festive weekend were cancelled, with the Lantern Parade postponed to 2021.
The Christmas Market will be held this year on the Princess Street and Silk Mill Street car parks, with a few stalls on Princess Street to bring the two areas together. The market will be separated into two main sites featuring crafts, and food and drink stalls. A one-way system will be in place around the sites which organisers from the council ask that all visitors abide by to keep themselves and other visitors safe. Hand sanitiser stations will also be available at each market site entrance and exit, and directional signage will help to direct visitors around the sites to enjoy a safe shopping experience. Mask wearing is not compulsory, though visitors should wear a mask if they prefer.
The market has been scaled back to allow for social distancing and will feature around half its usual number of stalls, but organisers have ensured that favourites in pies, cakes, art, jewellery and more will still feature at the reduced market.
Visitors to the market can enjoy an easy commute by making use of the free Park and Ride shuttle service which is returning for a third year since it was introduced in 2018. The shuttle service offers passengers a free short shuttle bus ride from Booths Hall to Knutsford Bus Station to help reduce burden on town centre car parks, some of which are closed for the event. Booths Hall is situated just 1 mile outside of Knutsford and has around 1,000 parking spaces available to allow visitors to park for free and board the free shuttle bus for an easy ride into the town centre. In 2020 rules for public transport will apply and passengers will be requested to wear a face mask where an exemption does not prevent this. Donations will be collected by volunteers from the Cheshire Badger Vaccination Programme.
There will unfortunately be no live entertainment at the market this year, and no hot food and drink stalls; this is to discourage dwell within the market itself but visitors can enjoy a visit to Knutsford's wide array of restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars as part of their visit to the festive market instead.
For any enquiries regarding the market, you can email christmas@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01565 653 929.