A Christmas fayre will once again be staged across three weekends following a successful trial last year that led to a boost for Harrogate’s businesses and attracted visitors from across the country.
The Harrogate Christmas Fayre is set to return for 2024 and will once again be staged across a longer period following a successful year in 2023.
The popular festive event will return to the North Yorkshire spa town for a fourth time and has seen a steady increase in hotel occupancy since it was first staged in 2021.
The Harrogate Christmas Fayre, which we support and is organised by Market Place, is due to return from Friday 29 November, and will run until Sunday 15 December.
The fayre was extended last year to run for 17 days – a week longer than the previous two years in response to calls from town centre businesses who reported increased footfall during the event’s run.
Leader of the council, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The Harrogate Christmas Fayre is a popular event in the North Yorkshire calendar, so we are delighted that it is returning for 2024.
“Events such as these make a significant impact for the tourism industry at a crucial time in the business calendar. They bring footfall into town centres as well as attracting visitors from outside of the area to plan their festive break here in North Yorkshire.”
This year’s event will also run across the 17 days which has been welcomed by accommodation providers.
Managers at leading hotels in Harrogate have claimed that the Christmas fayre provides a significant annual boost in trade.
Figures from STR, which is a global leader in hospitality data and analysis, has shown that hotel occupancy rates in Harrogate for December last year was 72.3 per cent.
This was a significant increase on the 59 per cent figure in 2021 and 69.9 per cent for 2022, although rates had been affected in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Crown Hotel Harrogate’s general manager, Dan Siddle, said: “We are delighted that the Harrogate Christmas Fayre will be back again this year. Since its launch, we have seen a significant increase in occupancy.
“The fayre provides a great reason for people to visit during the festive period and extend their stay to experience what the rest of the area has to offer.”
The Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) has supported the Christmas fayre since it was first staged in 2021.
The Harrogate BID’s manager, Mathew Chapman, said: “The Harrogate Christmas Fayre has been a great addition to our town centre activities.
“The fayre gives people a reason to choose Harrogate as their Christmas shopping destination, bringing footfall into the town and benefitting the local retailers, restaurants, bars and cafes during the festive season.
“We are excited to once again support another festive offering for Harrogate town centre.”
The fayre includes an eclectic mix of up to 50 stalls with independent traders from Yorkshire as well as from across the country and Europe selling Christmas gifts, decorations and seasonal culinary treats.
The Christmas event has also helped to support Harrogate’s independent retailers, restaurants, bars and boutique stores by bringing more visitors to the town.
The event will not be solely limited to the town centre as the Little Bird Made artisan market returns to the historic Valley Gardens for the three weekends during the Christmas fayre. Jewellery, crafts and gifts from local traders will also be on sale.
The popular Candy Cane Express road train will return, taking visitors on a tour of the town on Fridays to Sundays during the Christmas fayre.
A giant 32-metre Ferris wheel will offer spectacular views of Harrogate and the surrounding area, both during the day and evening to allow visitors to experience the Christmas lights and illuminations from above.
The chief executive of Market Place, Nick Rhodes, said: “We can’t wait to be back in Harrogate this year to deliver the Christmas fayre.
“Harrogate is a beautiful town to host one of our events, and we are looking forward to bringing another amazing variety of traders into the town centre to increase footfall and contribute to the local economy.”