I visited Birmingham's German market on opening day and took in the sights, sounds and tastes of Christmas
It may be November, but the festive season has already got underway in Birmingham city centre through the return of the popular Frankfurt Christmas market.
The market has been a feature of the Christmas season in Birmingham since 2001 and has grown exponentially since that first year, from 24 stalls to more than 100, stretching from outside Birmingham Town Hall and the Council buildings all the way down New Street to outside the Bull Ring.
You can't miss it if you visit the city during the festive period, with the familiar wooden sheds and structures full of colour and a wide range of products for sale, as well as lots of lights and Christmas decorations.
While Christmas Day is still nearly eight weeks away, the market marks the start of the festive season, with opening day taking place on Saturday, November 1 and running throughout November and December until Christmas Eve.
I will admit I am not the most Christmassy person and I do not feel the most festive at the start of November, but it's worth going into Birmingham to see it on the first day and take in the smells and sounds around Victoria Square.
Walking up Hill Street on Saturday morning, the market isn't hard to miss, with the familiar sight of the merry-go-round at the top of Victoria Square, while the eponymous wooden huts could be seen everywhere.
