It’s the start of the Christmas festivities in Kingston and I visited the town centre to see what they will look like this year. There are three main displays in Kingston: the lights along the high street and around the town centre (including in the Bentall Centre), the Alpine Market, which sells unique gifts, and has a very festive atmosphere and the marketplace where there are plentiful food and drink offerings.
On Thursday 16 November the lights in Kingston were switched on, and although there was no official switching on ceremony, it marked the start of many other Christmas changes to the landscape of Kingston. Starting with the Kingston Christmas Market, in the ancient marketplace which has records dating back to the early 1200s, where many Christmas stalls join the year-round food stalls to create the perfect environment for shopping and eating. There was lots on, even though when I visited it was in the first few hours of being open, including bratwursts, crêpes and mulled wine. There is also a large stage at the far end of the market place where there will be live music throughout the festive season, which will make for many cosy evenings, and there are also open mic slots shown on the Kingston Christmas Market website which could be a lot of fun and an opportunity to show off hidden talents.
Moving onto the Alpine Village, set opposite John Lewis (with its own set of lights on the side of the building and inside) and on the grounds of All Saints Church, where Kingston has more to offer. There is even a curling rink for people to try out their skills! Inside the market there’s a warm and inviting atmosphere and every Christmas stall you could think of, including cheese and eye-catching displays of jewellery. At the end of the loop round the Alpine Village there’s also a bar, and plenty of space to sit and stand outside.
Finally, onto those lights I mentioned at the start, at either end of the high street there is a new Christmas light decoration depicting the toppled telephone boxes on Old London Road, a permanent art installation called ‘Out of Order’ by David Mach, which became an iconic symbol of Kingston and outside the Bentall Centre there is also a huge Christmas tree decorated with lights and baubles.
Overall, Kingston is well worth a visit to do some Christmas shopping and enjoy the festivities, and I will certainly enjoy all of my trips there over this festive period. Kingston Christmas Market is running from 16th November - 31st December.
