York residents to get Christmas market discount

The York Christmas Market has been a staple for the city since 1992

York's Christmas market will offer a discount to locals in an attempt to make it more attractive to them, a tourism boss has said.

Some residents say they feel excluded from the annual market, with the emphasis on tourists coming to York.

Stallholders will honour discounts, ranging from 5% to 30%, following a deal negotiated by the council.

"That hopefully will encourage residents to participate," Make It York boss Sarah Loftus said.

St Nicholas Fair, which has been a regular event since 1992, attracts thousands of people to the city.

Before the pandemic, the event was so popular there were fears about overcrowding.

Making the events more appealing for locals has been a key objective for Ms Loftus, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The organisation, which is owned by the council, has negotiated the rates while the stalls are open between 17 November until 23 December.

Councillor Paula Widdowson, who chairs the shareholder committee, said: "It's fabulous to see how much front and centre you've put the residents.

"We need to be singing that from the hilltops to make sure all the residents, who have six weeks of that market, know it - cracking job."

The market will also be banning single-use plastic for the first time, with recycled cups offered to visitors.

"For the first time we've built in sustainability into all of our contracts. We will be policing it and we have the green generators," Ms Loftus added.