Etsy Christmas Fair

The Etsy Christmas Fair returns to the Brighton Dome Concert Hall Foyer on Saturday 5 December, from 10am to 4pm. It's the Brighton Etsy Team's 11th annual Christmas Market, and it's free to attend.

Over 90 local designers, artists and makers will have stalls in the Foyer, chosen from more than 200 applications. The selection is curated, so you're not just browsing random stock. You'll find handmade gifts across a few different categories: homewares, jewellery, skincare and art. It's the kind of place where you can pick up something for a few people in one go, and since the makers are there in person, you can actually talk to them about how things are made.

Behind the fair is the Brighton Etsy Team, a local group of volunteers who run and support the market. They're part of a wider community of more than 1,000 like-minded local people who meet regularly throughout the year, and they're described as one of the most active Etsy communities in the country. Etsy itself is the global online platform where artists, illustrators, designers and makers sell their work, so this is one of those moments when that online world moves into a physical space for a day.

The fair is presented as a way to choose local and independent businesses and to connect customers directly with the makers, rather than buying from a high street chain. It's in the Brighton Dome Concert Hall Foyer on Church Street in the North Laine, so it's right in the thick of things. It runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 5 December, and it's free to enter.