Free park and ride service for Beverley's Christmas markets

A free park and ride service from Beverley Racecourse will be in operation for both the Festival of Christmas and the Made in East Yorkshire Christmas markets from Sunday, 12 December until Friday, 17 December, 2021 so visitors won’t have to worry about finding parking in the town or how long they spend browsing the centre of Beverley.

The Made in East Yorkshire Christmas market will be in Saturday Market Place from Monday 13 December until Friday 17 December (10am – 8pm - Friday until 4pm) and will celebrate all things East Yorkshire.

This market will follow on from the usual Saturday market and the hugely successful Beverley Festival of Christmas which will be taking place on Sunday, 12 December (10am - 4pm).  

Made in East Yorkshire Christmas Market was introduced to encourage shoppers to this historic market town offering a full Christmas shopping experience with a mix of market and high street shopping. 

The high street and independent shops within the town will have the opportunity to stay open later for late night shopping.

Along with a selection of stalls selling a colour array of crafts, Christmas gift ideas, food and drink the market will also have entertainment and live music throughout the day, a fun fair and other activities - something for all the family.

The extended market is a fantastic opportunity to promote and support local businesses and an extended opportunity to welcome people into Beverley should they not be able to make the Festival of Christmas. The town’s evening economy is also set to see a benefit on what promises to be an exciting end to the year.

Christmas window dressing competition

Residents and visitors to Beverley will also be invited to vote for their favourite window display in the town centre – choosing which window looks the most eye-catching and engaging. Businesses are encouraged to make their displays as interactive as possible, potentially with photo opportunities for families so that these can be shared via social media to promote individual businesses.

Voting will be conducted online via a short survey, a QR code will be created and this will be distributed throughout the town. People will also be encouraged to vote in person through various channels at the festival to ensure that voting is accessible to all.

The voting will be open on the day of the Festival of Christmas, the 12 December. Voting will remain open throughout the week so that people are able to vote during the ‘Made in East Yorkshire’ Christmas market which will run until the 17 December.

Businesses can get involved by making their window displays look the best they have ever looked. It would be great if businesses can promote the competition on social media ahead of the event, including the voting link which can be shared ahead of the event ready for voting to open on the 12 December.

Be COVID safe

Health and safety is a priority that everyone must partake in whilst enjoying the festival/market. Prior to attending the festival please remain vigilant for COVID-19 symptoms. These are high temperature, persistent cough, and loss of sense of smell and taste. If you feel remotely unwell or not yourself, please do not attend the festival. Where possible undertake an LFD test at least 30 minutes prior to attending the event.

Please do not attend the festival if you are currently self-isolating with symptoms or if you are currently positive for COVID-19 infection.

The Beverley Festival of Christmas is adhering to COVID safe protocols so where possible please make use of the extra measures in place such as hand sanitiser stations, one-way systems, and crowd management. Although facemasks are no longer mandatory it is recommended in areas with large crowds which are expected.

Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for economic development and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer the free park and ride service to visitors to Beverley to ensure the two events are far simpler for everyone to make their way to the markets without the disruption of finding parking.

“The Beverley Festival of Christmas is one of the flagship events for our region and is an important date in the calendar for high street businesses.

"We also look forward to the newly created ‘Made in East Yorkshire Christmas Market’ and I’m sure it will be another fantastic addition to a truly joyful time of the year.”

Ben Gilligan, area director of bus company East Yorkshire, added: “We’re always happy to support events like these that put Beverley on the map.  As well as the special Park and Ride, we’ve got buses into Beverley from across the region, including Hull, Driffield, Bridlington, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York, so it’s really easy to travel to the event by public transport.  We’re looking forward to bringing lots of visitors into the town and getting the festive season off to a great start.”

For more information on the 2021 Festival of Christmas, visit: www.beverleyfestivalofchristmas.co.uk 

Further details regarding the 2021 Made in East Yorkshire Christmas markets can also be found here: https://www.beverleyfestivalofchristmas.co.uk/made-in-east-yorkshire-market/