One fixture will be missing when York’s Christmas market reopens in November.
There will be no pop-up bar this year.
Make It York, which runs the market, has decided to ring the changes for this year’s St Nicholas Fayre.
The bar took the form of the Thor’s Tipi from 2015.
Designed and delivered by the team behind PapaKåta and Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, Thor’s Tipi featured an open fire and cosy furs to keep the cold at bay, plus festive food and drink.
Last year, however, it was replaced on Parliament Street by the Winter Hutte. Said to be inspired by a Swiss chalet, the two-story wooden structure had a bar on the ground floor and a restaurant above.
A collaboration between Coopers Marquees, CMJ Events and Star Inn The City chef Andrew Pern, it looked like set to be the shape of many Christmases to come.
But as YorkMix revealed last month, the Hutte has been cancelled.
No reason was given by Make It York, but we were told some licensing concerns had been raised by the council.
Make It York then invited tenders for a replacement for the Winter Hutte. The deadline for submissions was 19 May, with the contract due to be awarded a month later and the contract to be signed “on or before 30 June”.
This was for “an attraction/offer that will be a family friendly offering, which may include food and drink or something unique that York has not seen before”.
But now YorkMix has learned that none of the bids was successful, and this year there won’t be a pop-up bar or similar feature.
A Make It York spokesperson told us: “Following an evaluation of Christmas 2022, and conversations with our partners in the city, we have decided to create more space this year for visitors to move around at the lower end of Parliament Street.
“Visitors will see a food offering with more outside space in this area, to dwell and enjoy the festive treats on offer.
“The famous alpine chalets will be returning with even more local Yorkshire traders being able to present their offerings to residents and visitors alike.
“There will be many food and drink offerings available to enjoy at both the market and across the city, creating a magical Christmas that everyone can enjoy.”
The extra space created may help to alleviate the overcrowding at the market.
Earlier this year, councillors called for change after the numbers of people browsing the market at peak times caused pedestrian ‘gridlock’ and led to fears of people being crushed.
[tptn_list limit=3 daily=1 hour_range=1]