Wooden huts are glittering with golden fairylights as groups of friends gather in woolly hats, warming their hands on mugs of mulled wine.
Signs written in German are dotted about - Glühwein (mulled wine), Bratwurst (grilled sausage), Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic punch).
This isn't Germany - it's Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market. Organisers say it's "the largest authentic German Christmas market" outside the country and Austria.
Christmas markets are thought to have originated in Germany in the 14th Century, and its markets have long been admired since. But how close are the ones in the UK to that supposed traditional, real thing?
BBC News visited some to find out - and perhaps provide some inspiration for your next festive visit.
