Christmas markets are hugely popular across Europe.

Huge local support for WinterFest and Mullingar on Ice extravaganza

WinterFest Mullingar has announced a Swedish Fika-style experience for the Christmas Market in Mullingar Town Park.

The buzz around Mullingar and the surrounding areas is well and truly focused on Christmas and in particular, the arrival of Mullingar’s first ever ice-skating rink.

A huge amount of work has been undertaken behind the scenes to create a wonderful winter atmosphere in the town and to attract additional business to Mullingar during the busy Christmas period.

Mullingar’s annual Christmas Market will take place in Mullingar Town Park adjacent to the ice skating rink from December 6-9 and it will have a special twist this year.

Marketing co-ordinator for WinterFest, Colm Baker, said: "There has been an outpouring of support from local communities, business owners and residents associations.

"Of course, with such a large investment undertaken, we are delighted to see that the people of Mullingar are really supporting us, buying tickets for the ice-skating and looking to help out and get involved.

"This is what it’s all about: the people of Mullingar working together to create a better town for everybody and a wonderful Christmas experience for the kids.

"In particular, we owe a serious debt of gratitude to Pete Coyne from Tipi Faoi Na Réaltaí, who has come on board to provide spectacular wooden German huts and Double Tipi’s (see photo) to create a Swedish Fika style experience during our Christmas market."

"Fika is a cultural concept in Sweden that is designed to allow you to take a moment to slow down, appreciate the good things in life and savour the moment while sipping on a hot drink and nibbling on some baked treats.

"In today’s fast-paced modern world we all crave a little bit of that and it will be a fantastic addition to the Mullingar Christmas Market for shoppers who need a break from the chaos."

The ice-skating rink is being built on a structure over the pond and will hold up to 200 people with a separate section dedicated for small children.

As can be seen from the images, the Christmas Market also promises to be a spectacular festival in Mullingar Town Park.

 

 

John Keane from Mullingar Chamber said: "From a logistics point of view, it has been a mammoth task to organise everything and we couldn’t do it without the support of the local community.

"We were delighted to meet with residents recently to discuss our plans and hear any concerns that they may have.

"In particular, we will be encouraging attendees to use designated parking areas such as at Westmeath County Buildings and ask everybody to respect the neighbouring areas when attending the ice rink and the Christmas market.

"It’s great to see such tremendous support from the community and we hope that we continue to see people willing to help and get involved.

"We are working with the Mullingar community to create an extraordinary Christmas for everybody and we are really excited about the news that Tipi Faoi Na Realtai are bringing an unbelievable experience for the people of Mullingar."

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"Ticket sales have surpassed some of the ice-skating rinks in the big cities, and that wouldn’t be possible without the locals of Mullingar who have been sharing our posts online and spreading the news far and wide."

For those of you who have caught ice skating fever, Colm said: "Tickets are flying out and our early bird sale ends at the latest on the opening day Friday November 23, or if we sell out before that.

"Early bird tickets are only €9 but they are limited to 20 tickets per session so you need to be quick and book them online at www.iceskating.ie.

"One of the biggest reasons to choose Mullingar is that you can ditch the chaos, queues and terrible traffic that comes along with going ice skating in Dublin.

"While doing so, you will also be supporting local businesses and making it possible to have other major events like this in Mullingar in the future."

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And it’s not just for families and friends, there’s also been a huge amount of interest from local sports clubs, schools and businesses.

Colm said: "We’ve also been busy reaching out to local sports clubs to offer particular sessions as fundraising opportunities to help them raise some money for clubs.

"Similarly, a number of schools have booked sessions on the ice-skating rink as part of their school tours and some companies have treated their staff to ice-skating as part of their Christmas work parties or just as a little treat for all their hard work throughout the year."

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It is hoped that WinterFest Mullingar will attract 100,000 people to Mullingar this winter and will bring a commercial boost to the town.

Mullingar will definitely be the hotspot of activity in the midlands this winter and you better get your skates on if you want those early bird tickets.

The photos below show work starting on the ice rink this week.