The University of Essex’s own winter wonderland returned this year with another magical Winter Night Market. Here is our summary of the night.
The Winter Night Market was open to SU Members and their family and friends. Entry was free for those that wanted to brave the cold and come and explore the many stalls set up by societies, local businesses and charities.
The market occupied Squares 3-5 and transformed them into a maze of beautifully lit stalls and activities. Rebel hosted the main stage, showcasing a variety of performances from a choir singing traditional Romanian songs to pole dancing later on in the night.
Many local small businesses set up stalls at the market. This included Colchester-based wood-work shop, Frederick The Sheep, who were impressing onlookers with their beautifully-crafted wood ornaments.
Christmas is not just about buying and giving gifts but also kindness and charity. Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is a national student-led organisation who were working in collaboration with Colchester’s Refugee Action to sell treats to raise money for refugees.
The Harry Potter Society were putting on a tombola to raise money for their future events. Santa had made an early appearance at Just Play Essex’s Santa Sprint competition which offered prizes to the top three Santa’s who could put on their outfit and bring a pile of presents from one side of the stall to the other the fastest.
There was also an opportunity to delve into foods from a variety of different countries. There were many culture-based societies on site from the Pakistani Society to the Asian Students Network. As well as treats such as apple toffee cider and cakes, guests could indulge in Filipino vegan noodles or Nigerian Jollof rice.
And it wasn’t just food and gifts for sale; guests could explore Santa’s grotto, play around in an inflatable snow globe, and even dress up in silly props at a professional photobooth.