Researchers from Christmas Tree World have revealed that Birmingham’s Christmas market is only the fourth most popular of its kind in England. This study found that Manchester had the most popular Christmas markets in the country, with Nottingham in second and Leeds in third.

The researchers looked at statistics from Instagram and Google, decisively giving each city a score which looked at how long the events were on for, and the average price of accommodation nearby at this time of year.

Birmingham was given a score of 6.15; this rating had considered that the average three-star hotel was priced at £123 during the 49-day period of the event. The markets had previously obtained 7,908 Instagram mentions. Taking into consideration Google data too, the Birmingham Christmas markets are searched 27,100 times a month.

However, Manchester took this top spot, with an average of 60,000 Google searches and 8,000 Instagram mentions. Manchester was ranked 7.54, making it into the top three for two years running. Last year, Edinburgh took the top spot but has now been demoted to 6th place, mostly because of its average three-star hotel price costing £227, whereas Manchester’s average three-star hotel costs £68. This makes Manchester the most affordable city to stay overnight during the Christmas markets period in England, and there are 40 days to choose from.

Nottingham, which was ranked second place, had an overall score of 6.61. The Nottingham Christmas Markets run for 46 days and the average three-star hotel costs only £89 a night, a lot cheaper than in Birmingham. Its markets were mentioned 4,848 times on Instagram and 9,900 on Google, drastically behind Manchester with its 60,000 Google searches.

Leeds in third place runs for 43 days and has an average three-star hotel price of £74, not far behind Manchester. It was mentioned 4,839 times on Instagram, similar to Nottingham, but was only searched 6,600 times on Google.

In last place was Oxford which has its markets running for 17 days. Its hotels are pricier, with the average three-star hotel costing £143. The Oxford markets only had 1,427 mentions on Instagram last year.

Birmingham was mentioned the third most on Instagram behind Edinburgh and Bath and it is joined with Bristol in being the longest running markets in England, meaning people can enjoy it for longer.

The research did find the most popular Christmas market in all of Europe too – this was given to Wroclaw market in Poland, which had a high score of 8.16.

The Birmingham German Christmas Market will run from Thursday 3rd November to Friday 23rd December. The stalls will be set up in the usual areas of Victoria Square running along to the Bullring. It will be open for 51 days, slightly longer than last year. The market will be open every day between 10am and 9pm. The big wheel and ice rink will also be returning to Centenary Square, starting on the same day but running until January 8th, between 10am and 10pm.

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