Galway firm wins deal to run Christmas Market

Date Published: 28-Jul-2011

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

This year’s Continental Christmas Market in Eyre Square will be taken over by the locally-based operator behind the 2009 Volvo Ocean Race stopover, the Galway City Tribune has learned.

The company successfully canvassed the Galway Business Association to take over the market from Marketplace (Europe), an English-based firm that ran the four-week event last year.

The organisers are confident that the shorter three week 2011 event will generate a cash boost of at least €10m for the local economy.

City officials are set to meet the Mayor and the four councillors in the City Central ward to discuss the plans next week, while an application for the market will be lodged by Milestone Inventive and VSC Events before the end of next week.

And the organisers promise there will be a bigger Christmas atmosphere, better designed entrances and less concentration on food.

Meanwhile, Councillor Padraig Conneely said he is fully supportive of the new operators, but the Council should request a detailed report on how the market can be more affordable for traders, and an outline on a financial contribution to the local authority.

Maria Moynihan Lee – who was one of the organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2009 – owns Galway-based Milestone Inventive, while VSC was behind, among other events, the recent Tall Ships Festival in Waterford.

“We’ve reached an agreement with the Galway City Business Association, and the permit application has to be in before next Friday.

“We’ve identified a large number of areas that can be improved, like avoiding congestion, damage to the grass, better dressing, lighting and screening, and there is a need for more children’s entertainment.

“It will be three weeks this year, rather than four, running from November 25 to December 18, with the same amount of stalls (around 70), with different configuration. It will be more spread out, with more room, and bring a natural flow to it,” said Ms Moynihan Lee, who has also worked on the Arthur’s Day concert in Galway last year, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the Trim Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Read more in today’s Galway City Tribune