Events which will replace popular Lincoln Christmas Market revealed

A live music event, giant inflatable monsters, and an ice sculpture trail are among the events replacing the cancelled Lincoln Christmas Market this year.

City of Lincoln Council leaders have confirmed their program for 2023 events, and say they hope to build on them going into 2024.

The Lincoln Christmas Market was cancelled earlier this year due to safety concerns related to overcrowding. The 2022 event attracted an overwhelming 70,000 more visitors over four days than its ideal limit.

The council instead said it wanted to focus on smaller events throughout the year, as well as during the festive season.

The 2023 program includes a free music event in the city centre, a Monster Invasion featuring giant inflatable monsters on city buildings, and a Christmas Lincoln event with an Ice Trail, Christmas lights, and light trail.

The dates for your diary are:

• 1940s weekend: July 22-23
• Lincoln Pride: August 19-20
• Steampunk: August 25-29
• Lincoln Live: September 2-3
• Lincoln Monster Invasion: October 23-29
• Lincoln Christmas Light Switch-on: November 23
• Lincoln Ice Trail: December 9-10

Other regular events such as the 1940s weekend and the Steampunk Festival will also be enhanced.

Portfolio holder for inclusive economic growth, Coun Naomi Tweddle (Con), said there had been a “very positive” response so far.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this to pull quite a lot of events together in such a short space of time, and we hope these are going to be big events,” she said.

“This is a new beginning for our events program, which will develop over the years and turn into something fantastic. It will only improve, and for businesses, having events throughout the year is better.”

“All of these events are free, which in current times such as the cost of living crisis, it’s important that the city council can put on events for families and visitors that are free to attend and to showcase our amazing city.

“When people go and do these trails, they’ll be using the local shops and local businesses, eating in the restaurants, drinking in the cafes. There’s a huge economic driver on this as well.”

The events will be aimed at attracting both residents and visitors and will mostly be free to attend.

Lincoln Live

The free music event, dubbed “Lincoln Live,” is being organised in collaboration with BBC Introducing and will take place in the Cornhill.

This two-day event aims to drive footfall to the city centre with a range of musical performances from local musicians who have featured on the broadcaster’s Introducing show.

“It will have a great atmosphere in a part of the city which is stunning and invites so many visitors,” said Naomi.

“The Cornhill has a lot of major development and a brilliant vibe, a great feel.”

Monster Invasion

The Monster Invasion, scheduled for the October half-term near Halloween, promises to be a unique spectacle.

Giant inflatable monsters will be placed on the roofs of city centre buildings, creating a family-friendly event that draws inspiration from Monsters Inc rather than horror films.

The inflatables will be secured in place and will also be illuminated, meaning they can be enjoyed even as the darker nights draw in.

Although the locations of the monsters haven’t yet been confirmed, there are currently seven potential venues up and down the High Street.

“Having a young son myself, I think he will absolutely love that, and it will be something a bit special,” said Naomi.

She added: “You don’t really look up a lot as you walk through our city centre, it’s not something that you naturally do, so hopefully we’ll give people a different aspect of Lincoln as well in terms of our beautiful buildings.

“Hopefully, when people are looking up for these monsters, they’ll see things that they might not have seen before – a whole new view of Lincoln.”

Christmas events

The two-day Christmas Lincoln event will feature an Ice Trail with 10 traditional ice sculptures dotted around the city centre, similar to the St Barnabas Heart Trail or the Lincoln Barons.

The sculptures will include a combination of traditional Christmas motifs and some more bespoke to Lincoln, such as the Imp.

Each sculpture will also be replaced overnight, meaning that visitors on the second day will get the same fresh look on Sunday.

Ice carving demonstrations will also be taking place at Lincoln Cathedral, giving visitors the chance to see the pieces being made.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ice carving,” said Naomi. “So I think it’s quite exciting, and I think the demonstration will be a fantastic spectacle for the people of Lincoln.”

The council has also committed to investing in Christmas lights, extending them down to St Mark’s and creating Instagram-worthy installations across the city centre.

The council acknowledges that the events this year will not entirely replace the economic benefits the Christmas Market brought due to the late organisation.

However, Naomi said this was just the start and that 2024 onwards would bring bigger and greater things.

The final plans for 2024 are also still being confirmed.

However, the council says it is committed to delivering a Christmas offering that residents, businesses, traders, and tourists can enjoy while ensuring safety and managing capacity issues.