Birmingham, the Frankfurt Christmas Market - November 2019

I went down to the edge of the Frankfurt Chrismas Market, a bit too intense for me to venture inside on the first weekend but I got some more magical scenes of this fantastic attraction in Victoria Square.

Photos by Daniel Sturley

More of the Frankfurt Christmas Market...

My Favourite 50 Photographs in Birmingham - July - October 2019

Here's a gallery of my top 50 favorite photos that I've taken in Birmingham between 1st July & 31st October. On October 5th I caught the Black Sabbath Bridge monument on Broad Street in great light, looking moody but bright & jolly too.

 

The 'Secret Garden' atop the Library of Birmingham - 11th July

The 'Secret Garden' atop the Library of Birmingham - 11th July

The 'Secret Garden' atop the Library of Birmingham - 11th July

On the Roof of Fort Dunlop - 12th July

The City Skyline from Fort Dunlop - 12th July

Looking Towards Hodge Hill from the Roof of Fort Dunlop - 12th July

The City Skyline at Dusk from Fort Dunlop - 12th July

The Full Moon Over Arena Central - 16th July

The 'Birmingham Family' Statue in Centenary Square - 25th July

Looking Over Brindleyplace in the Westside - 27th July

Multi-coloured Lights on the Top of Bank Tower Two on Broad Street  - 7th August

The Hyatt Regency Hotel - 12th August

Looking Down Great Charles Street from the Hyatt Regency Hotel - 12th August

One Chamberlain Square and the Snow Hill Complex from the Hyatt Regency Hotel - 12th August

One and Two Chamberlain Square from the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Dusk - 12th August

Crane, Moon and Jet Trails Over Arena Central - 16th August

The Concrete Core of 103 Colmore Row from Highgate - 24th August

The Birmingham City Skyline from Egg Hill in Frankley 6 miles to the South West - 24th August

The Westside City Skyline just before Sunset - 25th August

One and Two Chamberlain Square - 27th August

The 7th Floor Interior of One Chamberlain Square - 28th August

Architectural Detail in One Chamberlain Square - 28th August

The Library of Birmingham at Night - 31st August

The Crane at Paradise Birmingham with the Library - 1st September

One of the New LED Lamp Poats at Arena Central - 1st September

Arena Central - 1st September

'New Growth' from the Library of Birmingham - 8th September

The Library of Birmingham - 8th September

The Ikon Art Gallery Tower Reflected in the Water Feature in Oozells Square at Brindleyplace - 11th September

One of the New Light Masts in Centenary Square - 14th September

The Closest I get to a Selfie

Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha / Saint Michael's Parish Handsworth - 14th September

Smethwick Jamia Masjid with Dudley Castle in the Distance from the Library of Birmingham - 14th September

The Moon Over the Hyatt Regency Hotel - 15th September

The Moon Over Arena Central and Beetham Tower - 15th September

The View Down Suffolk Street Queensway from the Library - 15th September

The New Pool in Centenary Square from the 'Secret Garden' atop the Library - 16th September

A Crane Struugles with the Removal of the Concrete Core Over-run from 103 Colmore Row - 19th September

The Westside City Skyline at Sunset - 20th September

The Westside City Skyline at Dusk - 21st September

The Concrete Core of 103 Colmore Row - 22nd September

One Chamberlain Square Reflected in Two Chamberlain Square - 22nd September

The 'Secret Garden' atop the Library - 5th October

Baskerville House in Centenary Square - 6th October

Moody Sky Over Arena Central - 6th October

Crane at 103 Colmore Row - 20th October

The Water Feature in Central Square in Brindleyplace - 20th October

The Ferris Wheel in Centenary Square - 28th October

The Ferris Wheel in Centenary Square - 28th October

Photos by Daniel Sturley

 

Magical Lantern Festival 2017 at Kings Heath Park

The Magical Lantern Festival returned to Birmingham for the Christmas 2017 season, but this time at Kings Heath Park, having been at the Botanical Gardens the year before. I only really saw it in the daylight hours. Looked "magical" with the snow of December 2017. Did return once more at Christmas Eve, but didn't book a ticket to see after dark.

See also my Magical Lantern Festival post on the 2016 event at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

After getting some initial daylight photos from the 11A or 11C buses on the Vicarage Road in November 2017, I went to Kings Heath Park on the 8th December 2017 after it had snowed. Tickets to go after 5pm would have been anywhere between £15 to £17. But Kings Heath Park was open as normal before then for free.

A pink canopy of roses surrounded by snow.

Santa with his reindeer near the entrance.

Would assume that at nightfall you would walk under this archway.

Snow covered presents, Christmas trees and a house with a boy.

Snow covered elf.

I wan't sure if this was Angry Birds or Rio?

Santa clock lamppost.

Red boot with presents.

Reindeer covered in snow looking sky blue in colour.

2017 "Merry Christmas" and Santa on a relaxing armchair reading a list of kids present wishes. Why fly to Lapland when you could go to Kings Heath Park (2 years ago that is).

I last came back on Christmas Eve 2017, by then the snow had melted, so looked a lot less Christmasy.

Fun fair rides under wraps. They probably open them up just before it gets dark. In the day they were covered over.

Polar bears. Now if only I got them with the snow.

Some kind of flowers I would guess.

Polar bears again from another angle.

Oh look it's the red boot with presents again, but no snow this time.

Giant butterfly on a tree.

More flowers along side a path, on the leaf covered soil area.

In the pond was a frog (I think). Or some kind of pond monster?

These swans look real, but they are jusr Magical Lanterns!

The Birmingham skyline. I would guess this would look nice lit up after dark.

Link to the Botanical Gardens post Magical Lantern Festival 2016 Birmingham Botanical Gardens .

More photos here on my Flickr Magical Lantern Festival including photos from 2016 to 2018.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

Magical Lantern Festival 2016 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

I booked a evening ticket to see the Magical Lantern Festival on Saturday 10th December 2016. After a lot of waiting around town, I got the bus to Westbourne Road in Edgbaston. Was there between 4:50pm and 5:30pm. It was raining on my visit, so I got quite soaked going around the trail of colourful lit up Magical Lanterns. I've not been back since (apart from the dinosaurs / ice age)

The Magical Lantern Festival first came to Birmingham at Christmas 2016 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston. It was on from the 25th November 2016 until the 2nd January 2017. They returned to Birmingham for the Christmas 2017 season at Kings Heath Park (I only saw that in the daylight) and back to the Botanical Gardens a year later at Christmas 2018 (I only saw them from the bus or walking past on the Westbourne Road). I'm not aware of if it's returning for the Christmas 2019 season.

You book your ticket online, and get it on Eventbrite with a QR code (or print it out - but the paper version would get wet in the rain).

My visit on the evening on the 10th December 2016 just after 5pm. But it was raining, but I did manage to get around the trail (my camera got wet).

"Merry Christmas". A welcome from Santa.

2016 with penguins and a snowman. Also presents.

Colourful birds and flowers.

A jug of water and flowers.

A reindeer.

The Chinese Pagoda that you would find in the middle of Holloway Circus in Birmingham City Centre.

A Bug's Life. A mushroom and a giant ant.

A peacock. I've seen real peacocks here in the daylight hours (in the years after this visit).

Santa Claus in his sleigh.

The world famous Bullring bull in Magical Lantern form.

A Christmas tree Magical Lantern style.

I think this is supposed to look like the glasshouses of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

One of the clowns.

Canopy over the fountain.

Frog on a lily.

Green ant from A Bug's Life. Or Antz?

Mushrooms and flowers with water droplets.

Pearl in an oyster.

Reindeer and a snowman near the entrance canopy.

Exiting back onto Westbourne Road, giant teddy bear and presents.

I've also got daylight photos from Kings Heath Park from December 2017. I will put some of those in another post soon.

For a similar post on the Jurassic Kingdom and Ice Age: The Lost Kingdom events follow this link to this post: Jurassic Kingdom 2017 and Ice Age: The Lost Kingdom 2019 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

More photos here on my Flickr Magical Lantern Festival including photos from 2016 to 2018.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market 2019

The Frankfurt Christmas Market is setting up in Victoria Square, here's a sneak peek at some of the magical scenes to be found once open soon.

Photos by Daniel Sturley