ONE of the most popular fundraising pre-Christmas events, the Christmas Bazaar, took place in Bratislava on November 24, drawing thousands of visitors in the rainy and foul weather. An hour after opening its doors at 10:00, people were already queuing up to get inside, the TASR newswire wrote.
This year the bazaar, organised by the International Women’s Club of Bratislava (IWCB) and other organisations, offered samplings from 44 countries around the world, including Slovakia’s neighbours as well as more exotic countries like Korea, China, Israel, India and Iraq.
In addition to sweets, cakes and other meals prepared by individual embassies, visitors had the chance to buy original gifts, souvenirs and other items typical of various countries.
Since its inception in 1990, the IWCB Christmas Bazaar has become the largest and most visible event of the expat and diplomatic community in Slovakia and raised over €880,000, while funds raised during the current edition will be revealed only later. Last year the event raised €85,000.
All profits from the bazaar are used to support recognised charitable organisations in Slovakia, the IWCB wrote on its website.