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You could either say they’re jumping the gun or they’re just well prepared, but Cartagena is already setting its sights on Christmas. Unfortunately, interest from potential stall holders hasn’t been fantastic and the City Council is worried there may not be enough stalls to fill the traditional holiday market.

 

To hopefully remedy this, the Council has decided to extend the application period for anyone interested in running a booth at the Christmas market in Plaza Juan XXIII.

 

Originally, applications closed earlier this month, but due to a low number of submissions, the city has reopened the process. Businesses and artisans can now apply right up until to October 1.

 

All of the original guidelines remain valid and can be found on the City Council’s official website. To apply, vendors must submit their paperwork electronically to the Department of Culture. This includes a form known as Annex I, along with a detailed description and photos of the products they plan to sell.

 

The market is scheduled to run from December 6 to January 5 and will feature stalls selling typical Christmas goods and handmade crafts.

 

Once the application period ends, a committee made up of municipal experts will review the submissions. Selection will be based on several factors, such as the type of products being sold, the quality of the artisan work and whether applicants are registered with regional associations. To qualify for a space, each applicant must score at least 15 points based on these criteria.

 

Selected participants will be expected to follow set opening hours, from 11am until 2pm and again from 5pm to 9pm. On December 24 and January 5, these hours will be adjusted. While vendors are allowed to close at midday, the market space itself will stay open to the public every day from 11 in the morning until 10 at night.

 

For now, Cartagena is hoping more vendors will step forward to bring some extra festive cheer to the city this December.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena