Time to shake up these events

8:06am Friday 11th January 2008

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I NEVER thought I would be thinking this, let alone writing it, but I am seriously disappointed with a couple of city centre events, namely the St Nicholas Fayre and the German Market.

St Nicks has always been a success. From a small idea it has flourished into a winner, yet the most recent one was a serious letdown.

The number of people who asked me where the St Nicks was being held while they were standing in the middle of it on Parliament St was unbelievable.

All right, due to space constraints the St Nicks is always going to appear cramped. So think big, hold back the funfair for a week or so and use that space for a few more stalls. Use King's Square again.

Close St Sampson's Square to all traffic for the duration, have stalls set out in the road. In fact, suspend disabled parking after 11am in Davygate as well and have stalls along there as well.

Get stalls in St Helen's Square as well and spread the whole event out a bit.

Then, of course, there is the date issue. Why hold it at the end of November? Originally it was to coincide with the first late-night shopping night and the Christmas lights switch-on. Hold it the following week, - forget November, December is the start of Christmas.

Oops, I forgot - the week after will clash with the popular Lincoln Market. So what, York claims it has the best shopping experience, it claims it is the city of festivals. In that case go head-to-head with your biggest rival and let's see whose boast is best.

Why not incorporate the Festival of Angels into the St Nicks experience, and let the city work as one?

Now the other one. How on earth has a German Market laid claim to a siege on our city's biggest event area for 17 days leading up to Christmas?

German markets look great in the Rhineland, but what we had was a shanty town made from sticks.

Have themed markets, by all means, but to allow one group of traders domination is wrong.

The popular two-day farmers' market was cramped on to St Sampson's Square. This group of farmers set up every month in Parliament Street. What scandalous treatment of people who support the city all year round.

The city has run a "best-dressed window display" this year, which has been a success.

Why not let the shops that took sample trading from a different perspective, set up stalls and let them bring their shops to a stall? Don't forget, Marks & Spencer started life as market traders.

Something different, a new experience for all concerned, the retailer and the customer out in the open air - that would be a unique experience.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for speciality markets, but not at the expense of the retailers of this city who trade all year round, and not just the 17-day rich pickings at Christmas the Germans have just had.

York benefits from tourism. However, York relies on its residents to keep it afloat. So start having events aimed at the city's "bread and butter", the residents.

Tourists would still come to these events to see how we do things and I am sure they would join in, as we do when we visit their countries.

It's time to get back to basics and stop biting the hand that feeds you.

* Paul Willey writes in a personal capacity, and not on behalf of City of York Council. Paul works for the council as head of a street-cleaning team