?‘Tis the season to be jolly… and merry… and maybe a little bit tipsy!!  

I hope you’re all in festive spirits already and the Christmas shopping is nearly out of the way so you can begin to enjoy all the goodies that comes with this season! I’ve already been to the Gloucester Christmas Market (so much cake!) and soon will be tasting the mulled wine at the German Christmas Market in Birmingham. But as much as I love these things, they can be a little bit samey, samey. So, how about we start planning some new ideas for next year’s markets! Why not bring a little bit of individuality to the Christmas market by creating your own bar out of shipping containers. We have modified our shipping containers into some amazing structures this year and are inspired to start our designs for the year to come.

If it were my bar to make, firstly, from looking at the 
Football Stadium Bar and Cellar project
, we could use the idea utilising our 20ft side opening containers or even go that little bit further and use a 20ft duel side opening container for 360 degree access around the unit. By opening the large side doors we could reveal a bar made from either steel, a heavy duty wood or we could face the surface with our own branding in vinyl! There could be an internal serving area at one 8ft end if it suited the site, or alternatively we could serve directly over the bar to our clients outside. We would of course need a little bit of cover from the usual winter weather so a sturdy canopy either long side would be quite useful – these canopies can also be branded with our own company logos. 

If we had to try to blend in with the other standard wooden chalet type stalls at the market we could fabricate and install a removable pitched roof to the container which can be removed to change the appearance for use the rest of the year, much like the one incorporated on our Biomass Stores. Options for externally decorating the unit include paintwork (a red might be nice or company brand colours), wooden cladding, wrapping with vinyl (much like our new van), or keeping the industrial look of the shipping container so no one suspects what it may be when closed at night. We could always incorporate a little bit of everything which our university client managed very well with their project for the 
Travel Hub.

Internally we would fit all of the necessities required for a bar to serve a busy market place. We could have traditional hand pulled beers, a heated section for the mulled wines and ciders, several fridges and a larger refrigerated section for the beer kegs and of course some custom made shelving for the nuts and snacks. Depending on the electrics available on site, we could fit the unit with bespoke lighting to give an atmospheric appearance on those dark nights and as many sockets as required. Our electricians in depot will be happy to talk through the elements required for the build. Knowing how durable the marine ply wood container floors are, I would have to keep these as the base for the unit. 

There is so much to decide from and the possibilities really are endless as to what we might do with this unit, it’d be great to keep the main design basic to allow flexibility for use the rest of the year. For some further inspiration have a look at our
case studies or speak with our sales team for expert advice. They will be able to talk you through some options, provide a spreadsheet for you to complete so we can return with a comprehensive quotation based on your selections and we can also provide some
CAD drawings to give a clear image of what your unit will look like before starting any works.

Speak to our friendly and professional team today on 0333 600 6260.