Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas market is now a festive nightmare

A Frank Sinatra-like singer crooning festive tunes, a group of glamorous women in Santa-themed mini dresses and the smell of mulled wine and chestnuts... I was seconds away from being at one of my favourite festive nights out.

'There's four of you but come on... I'll still have you,' one punter behind a barrier threatens as I turn the corner into Victoria Square. He's shouting at a group of youths wearing masks and balaclavas as a security guard urges them to carry on walking.

Ah, that's my festive fairytale well and truly burst - because the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market I used to be so eager to visit each year is now little more than a tourist trap, filled with troublemakers or, worse, depending on who you ask, pouty wannabe influencers looking for their next Instagrammable snap.

Gone are the days of locals and tourists alike embracing the Yuletide spirit with the clinking of their giant beer steins and a reasonably priced Bratwurst. Now, some residents insist they avoid the area like the plague.

And is it all that surprising after reports of overcrowdedness (an estimated five million people now visit each year) and anti-social behaviour. 

On Saturday afternoon at around 5pm, there was already the smashing of glasses as tipsiness merged into outright drunkenness, as well as violent shoving among the throngs of people.

'Stop f***ing pushing me,' a punter aggressively spat at another while they made their way to the bar.

‘This is crazy. I can’t believe it,’ said one woman as she struggled through the crowd before deciding to leave the fair.

Parents kept their children close, huddling in together and no doubt regretting their decision to visit the market on one of its busiest nights of the year, while others told the Daily Mail that this winter would mark their last trip to the occasion. 

Russell, 37, who travelled to the city centre by train for his annual outing to the market with his friends, said: 'It's absolutely bloody heaving. Hellish. It's ram-packed, people are drunk already, pushing into you, no one's being very courteous. 

'All the stalls sell the same s*** every year and it's all a rip-off. I don't think I'll come again. It'll be my last year. It's got worse. 

'It's busy and you come up here and nothing's changed. It gets a bit boring' he insisted.

Asked if he would ever attend the markets with his young family, he said: 'Hell no, [it's] too rowdy.'

Richard Woolnough, 66, was in agreement, preferring traditional markets in Germany.

'It doesn't compare and it’s far more crowded. It's a lot more organised in Germany,' he claimed. 

'Busy' was the theme of the night. Too busy to be enjoyable and definitely too busy to feel safe.

Police officers and Birmingham City Council security members patrolled the chaotic streets - and yet still, you'd hold onto your handbag extra tight, fearing what could get lost, or taken, in the crowds.

Shuffling forward (walking, even at a leisurely pace, was near-impossible with so many people in the square), you'd watch every step, aware that any wrong move could put you in the middle of a slanging match with frustrated, beer-filled punters.

And what is your reward for pushing through the hordes of drunk people? Stalls filled with overpriced food and drink (a currywurst costs £7, a bag of chestnuts £5 and a double pint costs £12.50, as well as a £5 deposit at least for the glass).

One 56-year-old, who travelled from Stratford-upon-Avon to attend the fair with his loved ones, said: 'Beer's too expensive. We come early to avoid the crowds.'

The younger generation agreed that the market was overly pricey. 'It's really expensive,' said local Tom, 27. He joined his friends for beers, who were equally unimpressed with the cost of the market.

'We never buy anything but food and drink,' said his pal Laura, 23. 'It's expensive and it's nothing you need,' she said of the gifts on offer, which have been compared to 'Temu tat'.

Ellie, 22, said: 'It's very samey, compared to the one in Worcester we went to, there were lots of different, independent places, whereas this you see the same stalls [around].'

One local woman, in her 60s, told this publication how years ago, the market was one of her favourite spots to find gifts for her loved ones - now she walks on by without a second glance at what's on offer.

It's perhaps exactly how many now feel about Birmingham's Christmas market - it's hardly worth another look.

But that wasn't always the case. The city's Frankfurt Christmas Market was once the apple of Birmingham's eye during the most wonderful time of the year.

Now, it's more likely to be described as 'hellish', a 'rip-off', 'overcrowded' and 'underwhelming'.

No longer are the crowds manageable - it's become too busy for its own good - while prices have gone up in the years since it was first installed in 2001, and some stalls now offer items you can easily find online rather than unique Christmas gifts.

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Before, rather than fights breaking out at every turn and insults being hurled across barriers, crowds of different people came together to celebrate the New Year ahead.

Filled with treats, gifts and crafts, the annual occasion was a must-see for families, with children pleading with parents to take them to the fair as soon as it opened each December.

'Have you been to the German market yet?' local pupils would eagerly ask one another, with it almost becoming a competition on who could see the festive sight first each year.

But it wasn't just the kids that would enjoy the glitzy outing, with parents themselves getting glammed up to join their friends, colleagues or family members 'up town' to dine out on Bratwursts, garlic bread and German style burgers and fried mushrooms.

Christmas parties involved walking past your usual nightclub haunts and instead enjoying a few glasses of wine or beers at the market, complete with a dessert of crepes, doughnuts or chocolate-covered fruit.

Have a date in December? Let's go to the market. Need to get that special someone in your life a gift? Go to the market. Looking for a magical festive experience for all the family? The German market!

It was a feature that most Brummies were proud of. 'Do you know it's the largest in the West Midlands?' 'It's the UK's largest authentic German Christmas market.' 'It's one of the biggest outside Germany and Austria.'

There was nothing any local resident or tourist visiting Britain's second city liked more than heading to the Christmas fair.

Now? Many Brummies give it a wide berth. Let the sour-faced, pouty folk have it.