Illuminites Christmas Market

I went to the Illuminites Christmas Market with Ruth and Nhi today out at the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge. I think I went last year too, but this time around it was different. There were so many more stalls and the set up was much cooler. Last year's market didn't have as many fun attractions as this year's market. There was a giant snow dome (this was there last year too), a huge sand pit (seriously, it was massive) and a cool green screen where kids could stand in front of and be on a giant TV screen. This kid-friendly area was set up in front on the Perth museum, and around the corner in front of the state library was the area for adults, with an 18+ garden bar.

It was a very family friendly and chilled atmosphere here tonight. I had seen a lot of the stalls from past markets I've been to, but there were still quite a few that I had not seen before. I love that even though I had been to the Illuminites market before, I was still able to find new things. 

There was an amazing jam stall with about 30 different flavours of jam which could all be taste tested. I was seriously in heaven. I love jam, and some of the flavours were new to me and so delicious. In particular I enjoyed the banana, vanilla and cinnamon. The stall is called The Wooden Spoon. The jams are made by a lovely lady named Emma, and the fruit is picked by her and her sister. I think it's quite cute that it's a family business.

One thing I love about markets is the smell of food cooking. There was plenty of that today. A few stalls were cooking satay sticks and other skewered meat on the grill and the aroma was utterly mouthwatering. I would be happy just to sit by the grill and smell the food all night. 

There were plenty of popsicle stands out tonight as well. It was perfect for the hot weather that we've been having lately. I had a deliciously refreshing pineapple, mint and lemon popsicle which was perfect because the food I ordered was spicy. 

I really liked the Christmas market tonight because it wasn't Christmas overkill. It was the right about of festive fun and I'll be back for my third time next year. Although next year, I'm going to try and get there ealier. There's just so much to see and eat :P

Kids posing in front of the green screen so that their picture would come up on the big screen

The big screen

I liked that egg cushion thing

I thought this was cute :)

A cute brooch from White Squares

Jam tasting heaven

Banana, cinnamon and vanilla. Delicious!

Some live entertainment

Satay sticks

Cross-stitched Vader

Made of paper from old books

This is very unique. Using forks to make fashion accessories!

Knitted cacti