What did you think of the 2018 Christmas market and ice rink?

I was rather sad to see the Christmas market and ice rink dismantled last week marking the end of the festive season. I enjoyed the ice rink and it certainly seemed to be popular with you too. Almost 11,000 tickets for the ice rink were sold and it was busy right through to when it closed on 6 January.

We’re now collating feedback on Christmas in Salisbury and it would be good to hear your views on the Christmas market and the ice rink. Your comments and suggestions will be so helpful when we start the planning for this year’s festive season. Knowing what worked, and what you think could be improved will be valuable feedback helping to make the city’s 2019 Christmas programme of activities even better.

Perhaps you might like to give your feedback on the following questions, but please do add any other comments or suggestions you might have if they’re not covered here.

• Did you visit the Christmas market?
• If you did, what did you think of it, what did you like or not like? 
• If you didn’t visit, why was that?
• Did you go to any other Christmas markets in the region? 
• What was your overall opinion of the market? 
• Did it look attractive? Did you visit more than once? If yes, what brought you back? 
• What did you think of the stalls, did the range of goods appeal to you?
• Did you buy?
• Were there products or goods that you would have liked to have seen on sale?

Part of the Christmas offer was the free after 3pm parking in the city centre car parks run by Wiltshire Council and at the five park and ride sites. This has now been extended to Easter, until 23 April, to continue to encourage shoppers and visitors to Salisbury and Amesbury.

• Did you take advantage of the free after 3pm and/or the free park and ride parking?
• Did the free parking offers influence your decision to visit Salisbury or would you have come any way? 
• Did you visit and use the ice rink? If you did, how many times did you visit and how many of you went on the rink?
• What did you think of your experience? 
• If the ice rink was back this Christmas, would you visit Salisbury again to skate? 
• If you did book how would you rate the online booking system? 
• Did you come to any of the special sessions such as Skate with Santa or the DJ 1980s nights? 
• How well do you think the Christmas market and ice rink were promoted?
• Did you find it easy to find the information you needed?
• How do you usually find information, do you use social media, listen to the radio or read the local newspapers?
• Where else would you like to see information provided? 

These are a few areas that you might like to give us your views on but, please, do feel free to comment or make suggestions.

If you would like to respond, please email your feedback to events@wiltshire.gov.uk and mark it Christmas in Salisbury survey.

If you do take part in the survey, I would like to thank you for taking the time to do so and for helping us make Christmas 2019 in Salisbury even better.

Looking forward in 2019…

Hopefully it’s not too late to say a very Happy New Year in my first blog of 2019. How good it is to welcome this new year.

For me a new year is about starting afresh, seeking new opportunities and wiping the slate clean. I’m sure like me many of you will be happy to look forward to a better and more positive year.

What happened in 2018 is now behind us. It was hard to see the city we love impacted the way it was but time and again the resilience and determination shown by the communities, in Salisbury and Amesbury shone through. The determination to keep moving forward, to cope with what had happened and to resume normality was visible to all.

The impact on the number of visitors, shoppers and tourists dropped in the aftermath of the incidents and while it will take time for people to return it was heartening to see such a positive reaction to the Christmas market and the ice rink introduced this year as a new attraction.

It certainly proved to be a popular attraction and it was busy throughout the festive period and new year, right up to when it and the market closed on twelfth night. We’re assessing the footfall figures for the festive period to determine just how much of an impact they had on the local economy.

Looking ahead we will continue to encourage people to return and see what south Wiltshire is offering. Extending the free after 3pm parking in Wiltshire Council operated car parks in Salisbury and Amesbury and at the five park and ride sites highlights the continuing support. Plans for future regeneration and development in the city centre are exciting and are the start of a long-term wave of positive change.

I’m optimistic for 2019 and what it will bring. There’s a lot of work to do but we can make Salisbury even better than it was before March 2018. In 2019 the city is hosting a full calendar of events including the prestigious OVO Energy cycle tour for the second year, which went down a storm last May and was enjoyed by around 10,000 spectators. Salisbury will be in the international spotlight in 2019, for all the right reasons, when it hosts the highly acclaimed Armed Forces Day national event from 28 to 30 June.

Let’s look forward to a bright, positive year for Salisbury and Amesbury and showing the world what we can offer and providing the warmest of welcomes.

Here’s to a great 2019!