The team behind Ruddington’s popular monthly market is ready to pull out all the festive stops next Saturday, as ‘Ruddington Village Christmas Market’ returns for 2022.
Organised by the Ruddington Village Community Partnership (RVCP), this year’s Christmas market is set to be an even bigger event after the wet and windy market of 2021; with over 100 indoor and outdoor stalls of food, drink and gifts, two covered pop-up bars and stages of live music, and children’s activities.
In a change to the format from last year, the Christmas market moves away from the village green and onto the High Street and Church Street – with more stalls inside St Peter’s Church, Ruddington Methodist Church Hall, the Framework Knitters’ Museum, and St Peter’s Rooms. Kicking off at 11am on Saturday 3rd December and running until 5pm, organisers promise a family event for all, with live entertainment throughout the afternoon. The White Horse Inn is also running its own ‘Christmas Market’ from 11am to 5pm.
Mark Pinks, vice chair of RVCP, says: “We’re really excited to round off 2022 with something special. It’s been a crazy year pulling it all together, and the dust is only just settling on our first ever RUDD Awards night last Friday, but it’s definitely going to be worth it. For the first time in Ruddington, we’ve managed to get the Christmas market right into the middle of the village centre, with stalls, bars and music lining all along High Street and Church Street between St Peter’s Rooms and The Frame Breakers, and even more stuff going on in the church, the Framework Knitters’ Museum, the Methodist Hall, and St Peter’s Rooms. It’s going to be a bit mad for me and the volunteer crew setting it all up in the morning, but it’ll look amazing once it’s all done!”
Amongst the many stalls, High Street hosts the ‘Ruddmas Stage’ sponsored by Thomas James Estate Agents, with a party atmosphere featuring The Rock Choir and BBC Radio DJ Charlie Burley, plus a bar provided by The Bottle Top. Over on Church Street, the ‘Main Stage’ will be set for the Newstead Brass Band, Ruddington Community Choir, and the Nottingham Ukulele Orchestra, a bar courtesy of Nottingham Brewery, vintage carousel rides, and a line-up of street foods.
St Peter’s Rooms hosts a ‘Children’s Wonderland’ sponsored by Ridge Clean Energy, featuring performances from The Handmade Theatre Company, a petting zoo from White Post Farm, and a drawing wall by the Ruddington Art & Craft Society. More stalls fill St Peter’s Church, the Methodist Church Hall, and the Framework Knitters’ Museum, all with a selection of high quality gift sellers and community groups.
You can now find details of all the stall holders and event running times >>HERE<<.
To accommodate the event, road closures take effect from midnight on Friday 2nd December, on High Street between Kirk Lane and Church Street, and Church Street between Vicarage Lane and High Street, both re-opening at 10pm on Saturday 3rd December. Nottingham City Transport advises that its Green 10 buses will follow a special route during the market, leaving Rufford Road towards Loughborough Road, entering the village along Kirk Lane and Charles Street, and returning via The Green. Passengers using its Navy 3 service should use the ‘Clifton Road’ stop for the market, as these buses will be unable to serve the village centre on that day.
With a high attendance anticipated, RVCP have arranged additional visitor parking. “We’re lucky to have the support of Vision Express this year, opening up their parking area on the Business Park especially for the market” says Mark. “We’ll be directing cars over to their car park, My Journey CIC will be providing a free shuttle bus between the sites all afternoon, and we’re pleased to have the 1st Ruddington Scouts on board to help marshal the parking”.
RUDDINGTON.info will keep you posted on further updates about this year’s RVCP Christmas Market on our Events Diary page plus you can read about all the other festive events coming up this December in Ruddington >>HERE<<.
