Best of BMTH hut: local traders at the Christmas market

The Best of BMTH hut gives Bournemouth's independent traders a week each at the town's Christmas market. Alpine Christmas Markets, which runs Christmas in Bournemouth, describes it on its Love Local page as a partnership offering one-week trading slots to Bournemouth-based independents during the 2026 season, alongside calls for local performers and community groups.

What the hut offers

The main market is a six-week commitment: the organisers say traders work the full season, which opens on Thursday 12 November 2026, with market stalls closing on 31 December. The Best of BMTH hut breaks that into single weeks, so a maker, a small food producer or a shop can trade in Bournemouth Square for one week without taking a chalet for the whole run.

The organisers have not published the selection criteria, the cost of a slot or an application deadline. Traders interested should ask through the Love Local page or email bournemouth@alpinechristmasmarkets.co.uk.

How to take part

The route is the same for traders, performers and groups:

1. Read the Love Local page to see which of the three calls fits you: a week in the hut, a slot on the stage or an event in Santa's Workshop.
2. Get in touch through that page, or by email, with what you sell or perform and the weeks you could do.
3. Ask the practical questions early: the cost of a slot, which weeks are still free, set-up times and what the hut provides.

With the season opening on 12 November, the earlier weeks are likely to be settled first, so a trader hoping for a December week should not leave it late.

The market around it

The market page promises over 40 traders this year in what the organisers call their largest-ever market, with handmade and traditional gifts, a hog roast and hot chocolates. The 2026 trader list is marked "coming soon". Stalls open daily from 11am and close at 8pm (7pm on Sundays), with food stalls open until 10pm.

Two points matter for a trader planning a week:

• The market is cashless. The organisers say it takes card and contactless payments only, so a trader in the hut should expect to take payment by card.
• Footfall. The organisers claim over 5 million visitors across the season. That is their figure and we have not seen it independently measured.

Performers and groups

Love Local also asks for:

• Performers for the Square stage, next to the Alpine Lodge: school choirs, musicians and magicians. The stage already carries a free carols and choirs programme from the opening night; our carols schedule lists it, and the organisers say more acts may be added.
• Groups to host events in Santa's Workshop, the Alpine Workshop in the Lower Gardens: book readings, workshops and pop-ups.

Schools have a second route in: the Christmas story competition with Bournemouth Writing Festival, open to primary school age children across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Why it matters locally

For a small Bournemouth business, a single week in the Square is a low-commitment test of Christmas trade. For visitors, it means the market will carry some genuinely local stock alongside the rest of the traders. The Bournemouth Guide's market listing and Christmas guide cover the wider season, and our earlier what we know piece set out what was announced first.

What it means for visitors and the Flexiestays angle

Visitors will not know which local traders are in the hut until the organisers publish them, so a second visit later in the season may find different stock. For businesses bringing staff or stallholders in from outside the area for the season, Flexiestays' apartments are on the West Cliff, about ten minutes on foot from the Square, with self check-in for late finishes. Longer stays over Christmas and New Year include bills, and the corporate housing page explains how teams book. The Help Centre sets out what counts as a long stay.