The Harrogate Convention Centre has opened its doors for the eighth time this festive season for the return of the Country Living Christmas Fair.
From 5 to 8 December the pages of the Country Living Magazine will be brought to life as visitors can enjoy the full Christmas experience with craft workshops, cooking demonstrations in the Country Living Kitchen and a French bistro set up in the Royal Hall. The festive fair will also be home to handmade gifts, decorations and locally sourced food and drink.
With the show welcoming over 350 exhibitors, over two thirds are Yorkshire-based businesses including Harrogate’s Urban Outline. The Scandinavian homeware company is run by Liselotte Holleander, a trained interior designer who is returning to the fair for the eighth year with a variety of festive home accessories including Christmas decorations, homeware and candles.
Liselotte, who set up the firm in 2009, said:
The fair is the highlight of our Christmas calendar and is always one of our best shows of the year. It’s amazing to see repeat and new customers supporting local businesses as well as meeting talented exhibitors. We have recently launched a range of garden Swedish Santas which are adorably festive, and we can’t wait to share them. I love the show that much that I even decided to move to Harrogate from Aberdeen!
Award-winning Whitby Distillery, founded in 2017 by couple Jess Slater and Luke Pentith, is also exhibiting at the fair with a range of locally distilled gin. Jess says:
At Whitby Distillery, we’re passionate about local produce, quality and customers, which is why the Country Living Christmas Fair was a perfect fit for us. After visiting the fair for many years, we admired the supportiveness and enthusiasm of the exhibitors and the visitors and it’s been a real dream of ours to exhibit this year.
With the event championing best of British small businesses, other exhibitors include Ferriby-based handmade clay jewellery brand Silver Q, which is run and made by Sue Bond and Ilkley-based Linda Mellin who specialises in Yorkshire landscape art.
Guests at the Christmas spectacle can also join in the festivities at the Viking Cruises Champagne Bar or upgrading to the Country Living Luxe VIP tickets which include a luxury gift hamper worth over £200, reserved seating in theatre sessions, a £10 voucher to spend in the venue restaurants and a glass of mulled wine.
Harrogate Convention Director, Paula Lorimer, said:
After seven years with us the whole town now looks forward to the Country Living Christmas Fair. It’s a high-quality event which has become synonymous with Harrogate.
It’s phenomenal to see the increasing popularity of the event in its eighth year and you can feel the excitement around the Convention Centre and in the town. I definitely believe its success is down to the brilliant range of activities and products at the fair.
As part of the 4-day extravaganza, the Country Living Kitchen, sponsored by Stoves, brings together some of the nation’s finest food and drink producers for visitors to indulge in. If guests are feeling crafty, there are many sustainability-themed creative workshops sponsored by Inn Travel, including ‘How Green is your Christmas’ hosted by Country Living’s sustainability champion Emma-Louise, who looks at gift wrapping and recycling after the big day.
