Where to buy local and spend less this Christmas

Our guide to some of the best places to find local art and artisan crafts

Arts market at Leith’s Out of the Blue Drill Hall. Pic: Out of the Blue

While Advent is only just on the horizon, Christmas, that yearly frenzy which seems to be expanding at a comparable rate to that of the universe itself, is already fully upon us. The bright lights, music and buzz of Edinburgh’s Christmas Market is illuminating Princes Street Gardens, and those lights won’t be dimmed until 5 January. 

If you love all the glitz and hustle and bustle of the Capital in full festive swing, you know exactly where to head.

But what if the taste of cinnamon, the sight of almost anything red, and the relentless commercialisation make you want to break out in a wheezy cough that sounds a lot like “bah humbug”? Luckily, Edinburgh has plenty to offer you too.

The city is a hot bed of independent artisans, from Leith and Granton to Fountainbridge and Wilkieston, not forgetting the city centre. What more, in the coming weeks, there are loads of opportunities to enjoy and buy their work. 

For those, looking for things of beauty, and a little more local bang for a little less buck, here is a list of 10 alternatives to the high street and Christmas Market. It’s by no means a definitive list, but it might give you a starter for ten. 

For the art-lovers:

1. Winter Arts Market, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 6 - 8 December:

After thirty years supporting Edinburgh’s creative arts, you can trust that Out of the Blue’s selection of 100 local independent makers will be top-notch. The organisers have added a Friday evening market opening this year so you can sip a mulled wine and peruse the artistic offering after work. 

Cost: £1.50-£3 per day. £5 for a weekend pass. 

2. Winter Maker’s Market, Fruitmarket Gallery, 8 December
   Cost: 0 Star-Flyer Rides (Free Entry)

This market, organised by British Endless Love Creative, promises over forty independent artist and maker stalls. There will also be workshops in embroidery and aromatherapy upstairs.

Cost: Free Entry. Workshops £45+

3. Christmas Showcase, Leith Makers, 2-29 December:

The scrooge within me is delighted to report that Leith Makers have kep their Christmas events within December: the upstairs gallery will be opened up to ten new artists for a Christmas Showcase. However, the festivities are starting early- the creative space will celebrate one year of operation 30 November, with an open studio and some light refreshments to celebrate.
Cost: Free entry

4. Leith Creative Trail, various locations, 30 November - 8 December:

A whole host of open studios, exhibitions and markets in Leith and North Edinburgh are beautifully laid out in the Leith Creative Trail by ECA graduate Cat Gordon. You can learn to make lino prints at Ocean Terminal, meet artists in their workspaces at Abbeymount Studios, or buy an insect cake from a police box- what’s not to love?
Cost: varied. 

(Not only) for the kids: 

5. Christmas Market, Edinburgh Printmakers, 30 November - 1 December:

   

   Edinburgh Printmakers will be hosting its 4th Christmas Market and Open Days on 30th November and 1 December. The events programme includes hand-picked stallholders, as well as a host of all-ages printing workshops for only £5 each. There are also tours of the building, including a BSL tour. 

Cost: Free Entry. Workshops £5

6. Jupiter Christmas Fair, Jupiter Artland, 7 - 8 December:

Probably the most similar to what’s on offer in Princes Street, you can head out to Edinburgh’s award-winning sculpture park for mulled wine, live music and a market, as well as crafts, animals and Santa's grotto on the venue’s steading for the kids. 

Cost: £0-12

7. Christmassy Fun, Lauriston Castle, 7 December:

This single event kicks off at 10am with 2 hours of Christmas crafts, followed by a tour of Lauriston Castle as decorated for Christmas. (There will also be a Family Edwardian Christmas event on 15th December, including crafts, refreshments, stories and special tours, a Christmas trail in the gardens and a traditional lantern show. This is heartbreakingly sold out, but tickets are available every year.)
Cost: £5

For a unique venue: 

8. Festive Maker’s Market, Lind and Lime Gin Distillery, 30 November:

This one-day event is a collaboration between Lind and Lime Distillery and Edinburgh-based market curator Support the Makers. As well as 25 independent artisans, you can expect craft workshops, festive cocktails and food from the award-winning pizza takeaway company Wanderers Kneaded (often seen on the Meadows).
Cost: Free Entry. Workshops £35+

9. Keller Christmas Market, The Keller Taproom, 15 November - 23 December: 

Ever done your shopping in a pub? This craft brewery and taproom on Broughton Street Lane will be offering their normal fusion of Scottish and German beer and food all month. They’ll also have a selection of work from ten local makers on their walls and shelves for you to browse as you sip a local pint. 

Cost: £6 or less per pint

10. Urban Market at the Pitt, 7 - 8 December:

The hugely popular Pitt Street market and performance space, which helped the likes of Pizza Geeks and Choola get on their feet, will open its new venue in Granton on 6 December. The first independent maker’s market in the new Pitt makes no mention of being specifically Christmas-themed: could this be a cherished hideaway for the full Scrooges among us?

 Cost: Free entry

Of course, there is one thing missing from all of these: they don’t have chair swings. Maybe in the end I will find myself paying half my weekly food shop to dangle my feet tantalisingly close to Sir Walter Scott’s vanity piece, but I’d like to think I’ll end up in some of these other spaces, too.