Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany but are now held in many countries. Christmas markets date to the Late Middle ages in Germany. They became a popular Advent custom during the reformation era.
Christmas market was traditionally held in the town square, and the market offered food, drinks, and seasonal items for sale from open-air stalls, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing.
This Christmas, we Rotaractors partnered up with Live Negombo and Chroma, which was a newly opened space, to present this debut event of the Christmas market to the city. “Chroma by Bandula paint center” was a magical place decorated with Christmas trees and lights that created a wonderful atmosphere. But that is not all. This event gave a greater opportunity for the small-scale vendors to improve their revenue, the buyers to fulfill their wants, and young talented artists to show up their talents. This event added color to this season of joy, enhancing the spirit of Christmas.
A lot of people showed up to the event, which was held on the 17th of December, 2022. The market was carried out with small-scale local vendors, and they were invited to open their stalls at Chroma from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Sixteen pop-up stalls were there, including food activations, jewelry, handlooms, shoes, tattoo artists, etc. The vendors were invited to come up with their Christmas promos (i.e., superstore- Christmas hamper), and the brands were encouraged to promote Christmas-themed products. A small admission fee was taken from vendors in order to cover the expenses related to sound, lights, and decor.
From 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm, Mic Night was happening, and this was a non-ticketed event. Artists were invited to perform for several slots with some amateur performers as well, and the vendors could stay until the end of mic night without any hindrance to the performances. The stage was a casual platform with bar stools around for the audience, and it was interactive. The artists performed Christmas Pop songs, especially songs that could add color to the event, and it was a great opportunity for the young artists to show their talents.
The Christmas market proved that Negombo has many talented young artists. The crowd who showed up gave positive comments about the overall arrangement, and we, as Rotaractors, felt glad to be a part of it.
Penned by
Rtr. Rebeca Priyanjalee Fernando
Rotaract Club of Negombo
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