This year’s Winter Arts Market returns on Saturday 1 December, offering shoppers the chance to buy handmade artworks, crafts and design gifts in the lead up to Christmas. Over 200 independent artists, designers and makers will transform Liverpool Cathedral into a bustling market displaying colourful creations alongside an artisan food fair and vintage fair.
This year Open Culture are celebrating the tenth edition of this special event, which will feature stalls from over 200 artists, designers, makers, crafters, food producers, clothing designers and vintage sellers.
A huge variety of handmade work will be available including intricate jewellery, original screenprints, paintings, tableware, beauty products, colourful decorations, accessories, textiles, photography, knitwear, plus food gifts, clothing and vintage at prices for all pockets.
Read on for just a taster of the thousands upon thousands of items on sale at this unique festive event.
Liverpool is packed full of talented illustrators turning their pen to everything from cute colourful animals to detailed monochromatic portraits, fairy tales and magic. At this year’s Winter Arts Market, you can pick up their incredible designs on everything from prints and mugs to greetings cards, tea towels, accessories, key rings tote bags and coasters.
There’s also tons of beautiful jewellery to be found, from traditional gold, silver and gems to work that is a bit more left field with pieces made from clay, glass and plastic. Keep an eye out for visual artist Aliyah Hussain’s abstract, playful clay, Kim Lawler’s beautiful laser-cut terrarium pendants and statement pieces in plastic, acrylic and even wood from Anna Mulhearn.
Beauty products are always a popular pick for Christmas and have become a staple at the market in recent years; choose from naturally-produced soaps by Carmel Carney, palm oil-free skincare from Scent Trail and health and wellbeing products from local beekeeper Vonnybee, amongst others.
Painting and photography have always been staple fixtures at Open Culture markets and this year is no different; originals and smaller items will be on sale from most artists so grab a beautiful image of Liverpool, Wirral, or something a little more abstract if that’s what you’re into! This year’s market will also feature work from contemporary landscape painter and first-time exhibitor Holly Lloyd.
As the biggest arts and crafts fair in Merseyside, the Winter Arts Market has room for pretty much every art form you can think of with wood, ceramics, and glass all represented. Don’t miss out on unique work from woodturners, pen makers, furniture upcyclers, glass blowers, glass fusers, teapots, smiling pots and tableware made from foraged clay.
Alongside hundreds of crafters, downstairs in the Cathedral’s lower corridor the Food Fair is back and piled high with artisan chocolates, blended teas, cake, fudge, jams, liqueurs and lots more tasty treats. Along the corridor, be ready for a good rummage through the retro treasure trove that is the Vintage Fair, which also features independent clothing designers showcasing their work at the market for the first time.
The Winter Arts Market is open 10am – 7pm and costs just £3 to enter (under 16s go free).