The surprising UK city home to one of Britain’s ‘best’ Christmas market

Nothing kickstarts the  festive season more than Christmas markets with the winter months bringing a burst of magic to towns and cities across the UK.

Alpine chalets adorned with fairy lights, stunning light displays, and brightly decorated wooden stalls filled with last-minute Christmas gift ideas line the streets.

Towns and cities across the UK host a magnitude of different markets that all have their own unique charm.

But there is one surprising UK city that is home to the ‘best’ Christmas market, beating the likes of York and Birmingham. And that is the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield.

With over 60 log cabins draped in twinkling lights, the city comes to life with festive cheer.

An impressive 80% of the cabins are independent traders who set up shop during the winter months.

From starting off with just a handful of cabins, the Christmas market now stretches from Town Hall Square all the way to the bottom of the Moor.

The market has three exciting Alpine bars selling a variety of drinks, from the festive staple of mulled wine to a comforting hot chocolate. It is the perfect place to toast the festive season.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a traditional German sausage grill, Yorkshire Pudding Wraps or churros, and visitors will be pleased to hear that Sheffield has them all.

You can also see Sheffield from the sky by taking a ride on the iconic big wheel, which gives visitors views across the city.

Visitors can also submit their Christmas list requests by visiting Santa’s Grotto, where the main man himself is.

According to a new study conducted by the City of Doncaster News, the market was voted the tenth best Instagrammable Christmas market in the UK.

The study collected the top 20 Christmas markets searched on Google. Then, hashtag data was collected from Instagram for each Christmas market. After collecting the data, the markets were ranked by the most hashtags. Sheffield had 1,200 hashtags, cementing its position within the top 10.

Sheffield Christmas Market will open its doors on November 14 until Christmas Eve.

Many will not be surprised to learn that London’s Winter Wonderland took first place with a staggering 18.5 million hashtags.

Top 10 Christmas Markets in the UK by hashtags:

1. Winter Wonderland-Hyde Park, London. Number of hashtags: 18,500,000

2. Manchester Christmas Markets. Number of hashtags: 68,700

3. Edinburgh Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 56,000

4. Bath Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 36,800

5. Lincoln Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 14,000

6. Belfast Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 10,500

7. Glasgow Christmas Markets. Number of hashtags: 5,500

8. Cardiff Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 5,100

9. Chester Christmas Market: Number of hashtags: 1,500

10. Sheffield Christmas Market. Number of hashtags: 1,200