Cornwall's Newest Christmas Market hits record visitor numbers despite Storm Darragh

Cornwall Gold’s inaugural Christmas market this weekend has been hailed an enormous success, having drawn thousands of visitors to this historical Cornish attraction.

Despite the less than favourable conditions, the attraction was buzzing and saw record numbers of café sales too, bucking what has been a downward trend for many attractions across the southwest this year.

Running from Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th December, Cornwall Gold’s first Christmas market held in their dedicated event room adjacent to their award-winning café. Welcoming 26 stall holders, the Christmas Market showcased a wide variety of fantastic local products. From local Vodka producers Tan Dowr to artists Kernow Coast Creative and Jimaginations as well as AgeUK Cornwall and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the market had something for everyone.

Working closely with the local community, Friday morning also saw the Treleigh School Choir serenade shoppers while Father Christmas made several appearances over the four days. Children were able to spend time with the man himself before writing and posting their Christmas wish list letters.

Offering a completely unique opportunity to enjoy Christmas shopping whilst immersed in Cornish history, all visitors were able to take advantage of the impressive, and free, interactive Tolgus Mill exhibition. A vital piece of Cornish heritage, the exhibition details Cornish Tin Milling, with the onsite Grade II Listed Tolgus Mill also open for visitors to experience.

From learning more about Cornish history to Christmas shopping in their festive market and sampling delicious freshly prepared food in their award-winning Pantry, visitors were blown away by the experience.

As Mike Taylor from Cornwall Gold Explains “We are absolutely thrilled with how successful our first Christmas market has been and the impressive footfall is testament to the local community’s interest in supporting local artisans in the comfort of Cornwall

Gold. Offering an indoor Christmas Market experience, surrounded by Cornish history, really makes us stand out. Just off the A30, visitors were able to shop at their leisure in the warm and dry without worrying about car parking, thanks to the free parking in our large car park.

Add to this our beautiful jewellery showroom, fabulous café, free interactive exhibition and free panning for gold, and it’s safe to say, we really do have something that not many other locations can offer.

I would like to thank the entire team at Cornwall Gold who have worked tirelessly to make this event a success. Their efforts have paid off and I am pleased to confirm that our Christmas market will be a firm fixture on the Cornish Christmas calendar from now on!”

These delighted sentiments echo the stallholders themselves who were impressed by the number of shoppers as well as the experience.

In the words of one stallholder, By Shelly Lee “Wow. What a weekend, a massive thank you to everyone who braved the weather and came along and a huge thank you to Cornwall Gold for putting on one of the best events I have been to this year, such a lovely atmosphere, it was a joy and privilege to attend. Massive well done to all the staff and organisers, they all did such a great job.”

Another stallholder Kelly Tonkin from Kelmi Kreft added “Just wanted to say thank you so much for an amazing few days, this was honestly the best fair I have attended this season from the advertising done before the event to the amazingly organised setup process and the day to day running. All the staff were super friendly and helpful and I hope to attend any future events that you may run.”

This inaugural Christmas market concludes what has been a phenomenal 2024 for Cornwall Gold, building on their efforts to raise their profile in the county.

With the Christmas Market already confirmed for 4th – 7th December 2025 and the new event room available for hire, anyone who is interested in using the space is encouraged to contact events@cornwall-gold.com to express their interest.