more than 500,000 people visited it
The Christmas market installed on the Place du Capitole drops the curtain, this Sunday, December 26. Despite the constraints linked to the health crisis, the results are less negative than feared since half a million people have visited it.
So the season will not have been so bad. Despite the health constraints linked to the coronavirus epidemic, despite the obligation to wear a mask by prefectural decree issued a few hours after its opening, the Toulouse Christmas market does not look gray.
It closes its doors this Sunday, December 26. And the results are rather positive, according to the organizers. “Despite the constraints and access controls, it was a good edition“, explains Pierre Vincent, the manager of the Toulouse Christmas market.”We held on to the end, we were afraid that the event would be reduced, it could have been, but on our side, from a technical point of view, it’s a faultless“.
As for traders, it is more mixed. Marielle Brousse has been selling cuddly toys for eleven years on the Christmas market on the Place du Capitole. She talks about a difficult first fortnight: “We had a fortnight of rain and with the sanitary pass, people didn’t necessarily want to queue, especially in the rain. So the first two weeks were pretty average. Fortunately, it picked up again with the sun, but overall, it was a big drop in activity.“.
There is a decrease of at least 30% on the usual figure.
Marielle Brousse, shopkeeper
Less disappointed, the traders who had their premiere at the Toulouse Christmas market. For them, the recipe is correct. “We have no hindsight compared to other years“, explains Claude Billiard, manufacturer of candles.”We are told that there are fewer people than usual, but we are happy because for us, it is a showcase. We are a fairly recent company, it will be three years old, it allows us to get to know each other and to have a lot of contacts.“.
Most traders are preparing to re-let a cottage next year. The Toulous Christmas market has a penny. And the rink that plays it is undoubtedly more than it has reported this year 17,000 people.