It’s often said that Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ transformed the festivities from a fading tradition into the mega-holiday it is today. So next time you hear Mariah Carey for the umpteenth time on the radio this December, thank Victorian child labour laws.
Yet, despite popularising Christmas as we know it (Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, also played a part, introducing German traditions like Christmas tree decorating, gift-giving, and eating turkeys), the Victorian era was a lot different from our modern times, as this Christmas Fayre proves.
Victorian Christmas Fayre
The Victorian Fayre is a snapshot of Christmas 150 years ago. Worcester’s local traders started this tradition in 1992, and it now has more than 200 stalls spread across the city centre. Selling arts and crafts, street food and gifts, as well as a host of Victorian-themed entertainment (from stilt walkers to musicians and magicians).
Tuck into warm roasted chestnuts at the street market, climb aboard the Galloper at the fun fair, and meet the debauched inhabitants of the Victorian alleyway: Gin Lane, where the Clik Clik Collective brings the magic old music-halls back to life; just keep an eye out for pickpockets!
And if you’re visiting for the Victorian Christmas Fayre, you must head to Worcester’s oldest pub, The Cardinal’s Hat, where there’ll be live music outside on the historic Friar Street each day. The team will also be hosting a pop-up Friar Street beer festival and gin palace at Tudor House throughout the Fayre.
When is it?
Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre begins with an opening ceremony outside Worcester Cathedral on Thursday, December 3, and runs until Sunday, December 6. With just four days of Dickensian festivities in the West Midlands, you won’t want to miss this—especially when it’s just a 45-minute train from Birmingham New Street to Worcester Foregate Street.
