Keep calm and ❤ Christmas

By Jennifer Reddin

Photo on left by Allen Kiely Photography. Photo on the right by EDIT ELIAS PHOTOGRAPHY.

With Christmas less than three weeks away, the quest to find perfect gifts is well underway. Dublin City Centre is already heaving with stressed out shoppers clutching long lists and more than their own weight in shopping bags.

Offering a great alternative to the madness of Christmas on the high street, The Dublin Flea Christmas Market returns to The Point Square from December 7th-10th.
With over 140 stalls, the market offers an exclusive collection of up-and-coming Irish contemporary design, art, hand-made craft and delicious foods alongside The Dublin Flea Market’s much-loved mix of antiques, vintage and retro collectibles.

Most of the goods on offer are not available in conventional shops, so it’s a great place to find something a bit special for the special people in your life.

A number of early-stage craft and creative entrepreneurs including Liadain Aiken Knitwear, Minnie & Molly Crochet, Kiki Moon (organic cotton baby blankets), We Give it A Whirl (ceramics and home decorations), Chocolatey Clare, and Mulholland Jewellery will join Flea Market favourites including Kirk Modern, Dando Design, Grand Grand and Brookwood Pottery to offer savvy bargain-hunters a unique shopping experience.
In the food-court, you will find The Dublin Honey Project, Intelligent Tea (made from Irish and medicinal herbs), Scéal Bakery, Natasha’s Living Foods and Corleggy Cheese – all Irish-based businesses, producing Irish goods.

The market is organised by the same group that run the hugely popular Dublin Flea Market on the last Sunday of every month in Newmarket Square, a largely second-hand market, which been on the go for more than seven years.
The Dublin Flea Christmas Market is different. With the support of DCC and The Local Enterprise Office (LEO), organisers invite applications from creators, makers, designers and collectors from around the country who are producing or sourcing a range of high-quality goods.
As well as recognised names, the Christmas Flea Market serves as an incubator for up-and-coming designers, artists, craftspeople, organic food producers and small independent Irish businesses. To encourage people who are starting out, costs are kept to a minimum, making it low-risk for vendors and offering them a great opportunity to showcase their fabulous goods.

For customers, the market is a dream shopping experience. There’s lots to choose from and plenty of room to move around in the spacious Point Centre.
In the Hot Food Zone you can enjoy a pit-stop and some wonderful healthy food, such as Katie Sanderson’s Kimchi-topped Rice Bowls, the Pie Man’s renowned pies, Carinas Cakes from Capel Street and Fumbally falafel.
A wonderful aspect of the Christmas Market is that you get to ‘meet-the-maker.’ All the people who designed, sourced or produced the goods are there behind their own stalls. So as well as getting a unique gift, with a back story, you get to chat to the person responsible for producing it.
To get the best bargains and to beat the crowds, get there on Thursday or Friday, but it’s a fun shopping experience and a lot less hassle than the City Centre no matter when you go.

The Dublin Flea Christmas Market takes place at The Point Square, just over the Eastlink Toll Bridge, beside the 3Arena – a mere hop, skip and jump away from Dublin 4. It’s all indoors with free entry.
Opening Hours: 1pm-8pm Thursday 7th & Friday 8th December 2017.
11am-6pm Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th December 2017.
Contact: www.dublinchristmasflea.ie