Christmas market to be staged at Mallusk Enterprise Park

Hosted and supported by Mallusk Enterprise Park, as part of their 30th birthday celebrations, the Christmas market affords an opportunity for local enterprises to showcase their businesses and wares to the public.

The market will see over 20 local independent businesses offering products ranging from crafts and novelties to Christmas gift ideas, with an outdoor food stall serving hot pizzas and the team at the enterprise park providing festive nibbles and drinks. There will also be live music by tenant of Mallusk Enterprise Park - Audio Level DJ store and folk band The Rogues.

A free Christmas Grotto experience is being delivered to 90 children on the night and three charities are being supported - from a raffle in aid of NI Children's Hospice to the building of a festive food mountain of donations for Newtownabbey Food Bank and a mountain of toy donations for Cash for Kids NI - visitors and traders are being asked to play their part in helping the worthy causes by bringing donations on the night or sponsoring raffle prizes.

The market will open it's doors at 5pm and kick off in artistic style with the announcement of the winners and runners up to a children's art competition for primary school kids in the local area - the original artworks of favourite local businesses and social enterprises will be on show, gallery style, in the brand new Enterprise Hub at the business park.

CEO of Mallusk Enterprise Park, Emma Garrett said: “We are very much looking forward to holding the inaugural Mallusk Christmas Market in the Enterprise Park.

"This event will kick off a year of celebrations to mark our landmark 30th birthday. Since 1992 we have strived to promote, support and develop enterprise and wealth creation within our community through free advice, training and mentoring to individuals and small/micro businesses.

"We look forward to welcoming members of the local community into the park to show them the facilities we have on offer whilst they shop small and local with our wide range of market traders.”

Iain Patterson, Chairman Mallusk Enterprise Park added: “The team at Mallusk Enterprise Park have been working hard behind the scenes to make this event special in every way.

"The enterprise park is very much part of the community in Newtownabbey; helping over 100 people every year to establish their own business and assisting many more to survive and even thrive during the last few challenging years of Covid. We have been heartened by the kind and generous donations of local businesses to the raffle and the event itself.”

The Mallusk Enterprise Christmas Market takes place on Thursday, December 1 from 5pm to 8pm, is free to attend and a list of traders and the entertainment line up can be found online at www.mallusk.org/events

The Santa's Grotto experience is fully booked, but a waiting list is in operation and can be joined via eventbrite