Against my better judgement I was pursuaded to go to the Christmas market in Centenery Square for a spot of shopping today. There wasn't one, where did it go? There were just a few closed "sheds" dotted around and some scruffbags packing up a roundabout.:ohno:

I don't go often but every time I do the accelerating decline astonishes me. I did noticed that the block paving near Goldsmiths jewellers was nearly complete, well, I reckon I could have done that quicker on my own, maybe with my 84 year aunt as a labourer, how long can it take to block pave 100 sq/m?:lol:

Apparantly it wasn't doing very well so the traders gave up and went back home.

Other Christmas markets have been thriving. Been to York and Lincoln and they were packed.

I think there is one going on in Keighley on Sunday if you want something really exciting to go to this weekend.

Someone reported on this forum the other day that trade at the Christmas Market was very poor and many traders had shut up and gone home after it wasn't profitable to be in Bradford. The remaining traders warned they might have to do the same- I suppose this is what has happened.

I'm suprised Bradford has given Christmas markets a go. I think you have to have an established shopping base in a town/city to be able to run Christmas markets- Bradford hasn't got this.

I suppose when half the population doesn't like sausages or beer, that limits the market appeal somewhat!

I suppose when half the population doesn't like sausages or beer, that limits the market appeal somewhat!

Haha a witty observation indeed.

Someone reported on this forum the other day that trade at the Christmas Market was very poor and many traders had shut up and gone home after it wasn't profitable to be in Bradford. The remaining traders warned they might have to do the same- I suppose this is what has happened.

I'm suprised Bradford has given Christmas markets a go. I think you have to have an established shopping base in a town/city to be able to run Christmas markets- Bradford hasn't got this.

Shouldn't this thread be in the Skybar?

Anyway here is the article I posted last week saying that the Bradford Christmas Market is on the verge of closure. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/8392398.stm Presumably it has completely closed now then after completely failing to compete against Leeds's German Christmas Market which seemed to be going from strength to strength (I never remember it being as busy as it has been this year) and it is of course only fifteen minutes away from Bradford on the train (although Bradford was not alone as I was in Sheffield recently and it's Christmas Market appeared dead when I walked past on an evening a couple of weeks back and presumably places just jumping on a bandwagon are surely not as likely to be a success as opposed to places which already have established a seasonal German Christmas market). Still it is of course yet another embarrasement for Bradford City Centre.

Bradford does have it's own version of the Berlin Wall though blocking off what should be one of it's strongest assets of Little Germany away from the rest of the city centre. :ohno:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2206/2085901751_3baf91c5c0_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3830191699_633f469533.jpg

half the population doesn't like sausages or beer
Evidence? :no:

On the basis that 16% of Bradford residents in the 2001 Census listed themselves as Muslim (and pork/alcohol not being Halal), I'd say S.K. has invented a brand new definition of 'Half the population' right here in this thread, or the muslim population of Bradford was trebled in 8 years. Somehow I believe it's the former.