Choirs singing, mulled wine simmering, tills ringing...Hay town is full of Christmas shoppers enjoying the first weekend of Advent and the open-air markets offering hand-reared cheese burgers, Welsh honey, truffles and cakes, local cider, gin and Lucky 7 beer. It's street food with a Welsh accent, fuelling Festivalgoers as they browse and buy between events down at the Cattle Market, where the Baillie Gifford tent has been filled to its 500-seat capacity for many of the authors, comedians and musicians. Starting with the Christmas lights switch-on yesterday evening by Cerys Matthews, the air of celebration is rising to a crescendo that will last until Sunday night.
In addition to the 40-plus food exhibitors in the Market Square, Fairtrade Hay also holds its Christmas Fair today, with stalls including Zaytoun Palestinian olive oil and almonds, Jump4Timbuktu's exquisite jewellery from Mali, and Love Zimbabwe's handmade creatures from recycled oil drums. Hay is a Fairtrade Town and the local group is on a mission to persuade local businesses to stock more Fairtrade items. This helps individual farmers and producers in emerging countries to earn a living wage and send their children to school.
The weather remains kind, so traders, visitors and residents can enjoy all the wonderful treats that Hay has to offer. On Sunday, the Market Square is taken over by a vintage and craft fair, offering more gift ideas for friends, family and yourself. More on that tomorrow.