A festive market is in full swing a short walk away from me is in full swing. I’ve popped by the Christmas extravaganza a few times already and the atmosphere is magic. There’s a huge selection of stocking fillers, unique clothes at great prices and a tasty choice of various food and drink.

The city of Plymouth is alive with twinkling lights and festive joy. Live music plays in the Piazza, including Christmas carols as well as rock, pop, soul and more — and traders have come from far and wide to sell their specialities here this December. 

Vendors at the market told me they loved the “vibrant” place, for many sellers it’s their first visit to the sea-fringed city. I’ve been visiting the Plymouth Christmas Market for 10 years and I must say, this December it has a really sparkling vibe.

Plymouth sits between the stunning landscape of Dartmoor National Park which is also a great wintertime setting. To the west of the city is the gorgeous county of Cornwall.

Local traders Adam and Nicola Webb run a shop, Nicky’s Glow Beads & Gifts, in the nearby Cornish town of Saltash. They’ve got a great stall at Plymouth Christmas Market this year with some quality Italian jumpers for sale.

I bought a soft red jumper for £18 from this market stall and I love it, but as well as an array of jumpers all in different colours, the glow bead bracelets they sell are also a nice gift that also come in various shades that glow in the dark. Glimmering festive brooches are also on sale at this stall for £5, plus some very unusual and attractive aroma diffusers. I think most shoppers could find an exciting gift here.

The husband-and-wife have been growing the business since 2014 and Adam said that leaving their jobs and starting it up is the “best thing” they’ve ever done.

Adam and Nicky hand make all the beadware including the glow bracelets as well as selling clothing, accessories and gifts, I will definitely be popping back to this stall before the market finishes up on December 21.

But the next stall I visited was also delightful — and the gin on sale really stood out. The stall holder, Hamish Thoburn of Garden Libations, who had never been to Plymouth before, said he’d found the city “very vibrant” and had met “lots of lovely people” at the Christmas market while trading. 

He’d travelled down from Wales to sell his unique drinks. Hamish said about his gin: “Stinging nettle gin is our biggest seller, a little tart at the beginning and it goes well with sparkling water, a slice of lime and a sprig of mint to make a nettle mojito.”

Of course I had to try a small sample of the nettle gin. It was impressive and distinctive it would make a great gift — another stall well worth a visit.

Also visiting Plymouth for the first time to trade at the festive market is Karl Toyne, who travelled down from Lincolnshire to trade at the city’s Christmas market. His business, Aunt Annie’s Fudge, was established in 1966, with interesting flavours such as lemon meringue, banana swirl and Ferrero Rocher to try — and it’s “award winning”.

Karl shared: “I like the city, I’ve never been this far south before, it’s my first time ever in Plymouth and it’s a nice place. I’ve been running this family business for 15 years, but Aunt Annie’s Fudge has been going for a long time.”

I also spoke with Damien Morgan on Tam Events. He travelled from Ireland to sell hungry customers delicious bratwurst, giving the Christmas market a continental vibe.

Damien told me: “I’ve been doing this since I was 18 years old. I’m now 33, travelling around the UK doing the markets and doing these Christmas markets.

“This is our first year in Plymouth, the crowds here are exciting, we’ve seen good reviews on it and the people are just lovely — it’s a lovely seaside city too, very beautiful.”

Local woman Mary Freeman has been trading at Plymouth Christmas Market for 12 years. Herbusiness, M & N Freemans, offers a delicious festive feast wrapped up in a huge Yorkshire pudding, which I’ve tried and I can vouch that it’s absolutely divine, plus it’s very Christmassy.

Mary explained why she loves to trade here: “I’m local, I was born and bred in Plymouth, every year we come in and get a unit, it’s my hometown. I love the atmosphere, especially when it’s lively. This year there’s a lot of new traders, different food and different things so hopefully it’s the busiest yet.”

Plymouth Christmas Market is on for several more days, the final day being Sunday, December 21, when the Armed Forces Choir from Theatre Royal Plymouth will sing out from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

If you visit, don’t forget to check out the Snow Globe, surrounded by “swirling snow and sparkling lights”. It’s a really perfect spot to capture a festive photo with your family or friends.