Festive music and twinkling lights are always an integral part of Christmas shopping, but a canalside market can offer so much more, such as Santa cruises, floating traders and a nostalgic, Dickensian atmosphere. Here are some of our best seasonal suggestions for winter fayres this year.

Northamptonshire

The charming canal side village of Stoke Bruerne is once again hosting a Christmas market on the canal this year, on the weekend of 12th and 13th December. There will be carols around a Christmas tree, a procession of illuminated canal boats, boat trips, live music, floating traders,mulled wine, hot soup and roasted hot chestnuts. A detailed programme events is at The Friends of the Canal Museum website.

Gloucestershire

Gloucester Quays Enchanted Christmas Market offers 100 stalls, live music and Christmas characters from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th December. There will live entertainment ranging from traditional choirs and brass bands to street theatre performers. There will also be plenty of locally produced food, drink and Christmas gift ideas.

Birmingham

Birmingham’s Seasonal Market is returning to the Digbeth canal-side venue this Saturday 5th December, from 12pm until 6pm, with a courtyard of street food, real ale and cocktails beneath a huge Victorian canopy. Traders will be selling food, jewellery, crafts and more from indoor market stalls and canal boats.

Birmingham Christmas floating market is on 11th December 2015 to 13th December 2015 on the canalside near the Barclaycard Arena. I went to a Roving Traders floating market in September of this year when more than 20 colourful narrowboats were decorated with bunting selling books, handicrafts and gifts,fenders and ropes, plants and seeds, woollen fashion garments, painted plates, art prints, photographs, antiques and more.

Camden Market

Of course perhaps the most famous canalside market is the collection of open air and indoor markets on the Regents Canal near Hampstead Road Lock,London. As well as alternative fashion, vintage fashion, jewellery, arts and crafts and food and drink you can enjoy the local shops, bars and restaurants and make a day out of it. Most of the stalls are open every day of the year except for December 25th. Find out more at the CamdenLock website.

If all you want for Christmas is the inspiration and practical knowledge to turn your enthusiasm for boats into a full time job then there’s a business type for everyone at http://www.boatshedbusiness.com!

Peggy Melmoth

Image credit: Thanks to [Grim23]("Camden markets entrance" by en:User:Grim23. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camden_markets_entrance.JPG#/media/File:Camden_markets_entrance.JPG) for making this image available with a Creative Commons Licence.

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