Ay-Up Market gets underway celebrating all that is brilliant about Nottingham

Nottingham's popular Ay-Up Market is back with crafts, clothing, plants and plenty of delectable things to eat and drink in the heart of the city. Now in its third year, the annual event is bigger than ever with 60 stalls celebrating the city's independent traders in all their uniqueness.

The event is in full swing, opening on Friday, April 26 and running until Sunday, April 28, taking over Old Market Square. Some of the traders have shops or restaurants, others only trade online so it gives them a unique platform.

Shoppers will find woolly crafts from Made in kNotts, English fizz and wine from Nottinghamshire vineyard, Hanwell Wine Estate, and house plants and terrariums from Sap Plants. There are greeting cards, jewellery, coffee and a whole lot more.

The wares might not be the cheapest but they are handmade and unique. Stallholder Heather Kirk, who runs Hallo Ceramics from a studio at her home in Bilborough, is selling earrings, dishes, jars and mugs.

"Pretty much everything I make is just one of each or three of each so it's super small batch, not mass produced. If you come to something like this you're expecting everything's going to be handmade. Something I do get a lot is 'I can get it cheaper in IKEA' so I will invite them to go to IKEA."

Heather, who taught herself the craft during lockdown, sells online and at markets. She's traded every year at Ay-Up Market. "I'm excited to be back. I was born and bred in Nottingham and I think Nottingham has a really strong independent community, especially for small businesses. I feel like it's a constant battle with mainstream shops so to be in the middle of Market Square with so many wonderful creatives, it feels like you're part of an army standing for something really great."

The event has beer and spirits from a Blue Monkey bar and cocktails from the Wandering Tearoom with seating, where visitors can eat and drink. One corner of the market smells particularly good with wraps and samosas from Indian restaurant MemSaab and Malaysian street food from award-winning Syiok-Lah.

City centre restaurant Colombo Street is serving up Sri Lankan kottu, while chef Billy Mantle, founder of Shio, captures Asian flavours of Korean fried chicken and beef short rib teriyaki from a trailer.

Happy Sunday Vintage's stall has dresses, shoes and rings, from the shop in Derby Road, Canning Circus. Owner Bryony Selway, who will also be selling at Glastonbury in a few weeks, said: "It's the first time we've done the Ay-Up Market. We had a really good time at the Christmas one at the castle so it was a no-brainer. I have tried to bring the best representation of what we have in the shop so we have got some amazing vintage pieces, lots of colour, lots of texture, something a bit different.

"We have also got our best sellers, the vintage silver rings, which always do really well. I have a lot of ballgowns as I was thinking of prom coming, so a sustainable option."

Amongst the food stalls is Block Party Bakery with its New York style cookies in flavours of Rolo, white chocolate and pistachio, Snickers, and Kinder and Nutella. Brookies (brownie/cookie) and Basque burnt cheesecake are also there to tempt the masses.

Co-founder Faraz Ghani said visitors like that fact it is all local traders. "We did this last year and it was an amazing turnout. A lot of the customers who come go to other markets and we see a lot of regulars. They are all very supportive of independents. It's really nice to have something so central and as big as this. There's always a nice sense of community."

The event will be a variety of group performances from the Nottingham Asian Arts Council, City Arts, and the Brazilian Culture Centre, showcasing a range of cultural art forms, plus plenty of family-friendly activities to keep everyone entertained, including a traditional hook-a-duck and candy-floss cart, free face painting and balloon modelling.

The market is organised and funded by It’s in Nottingham, the city’s business improvement district, with support from Nottingham City Council. It will be back open from 10am to 6pm on Saturday April 27 and 10am to 5pm on Sunday April 28. Entry is free.