You can always tell when it 'officially' becomes Christmastime because the festive markets make an appearance, and it is officially Christmas in Sunderland 
Sunderland has always had to compete for the attention of us Northerners, with the likes of Newcastle, and sometimes even Durham. As a result, it often gets a pretty bad wrap. However, I spent this Saturday morning in Sunderland city centre taking a look at what they currently have on offer for residents, visitors, and tourists alike; and was pleasantly surprised!
I've always been intrigued by the Christmas markets that other cities put on over the Winter months, but have always been deterred by the sheer amount of people. Sunderland had really a rather cute counterpart to this over the weekend, namely three little stalls on Market Square.
There were also appearances by some Brazilian dancers, to showcase how the rest of the world celebrates Christmas, and some local school children singing Christmas carols. As well as an arts and craft stall, and free samples of Swedish food supplied by Piquant Cuisine, a catering company founded by Masterchef contestant Greg Butler. Unfortunately though, neither myself nor my Mum were brave enough to try any of the Venison sausages or caviar!
Over the course of December, there are also competitions for passers by, in which they can select a key from Santa's sack, and try to open the advent door. In the above photos you can see my Mum having a go, unfortunately for us, neither of our keys were the winning ones.
Overall, what I really enjoyed about the afternoon was how cosy the events were. Sunderland is a city with a relatively small central area, and the shops are often the main attraction, as opposed to events and markets. However, while in size, it is no match for the Newcastle market, the energy, the offers, and the competitions definitely make it worth getting yourself down to if you're in the area.
Sunday 7 December 2014, 6:32pm
