Essentials:
- What: Four days and more than 350 stalls at the UK's oldest, German-style Christmas Markets. Traders come from all over the Europe in what is billed as Europe's largest event of its kind.
- Where: Castle Square, Lincoln
- When: Four days in early December
- Website:
- See a film about Lincoln Christmas Market
From a Small Beginning...:
In 1982, a group of Lincoln city councillors visited Lincoln's twinned town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse and were impressed with the small Christmas Market they saw there.
Back home, they set up their own European Christmas Market with 14 stalls. By 2007, 25 years later, more than 350 stall holders pack into this huge festive market that spreads over the cobbled streets, beneath the floodlit 12th century Cathedral and the Norman Castle. All around, Lincoln's pristine black and white half-timbered houses give the whole scene a fairy tale quality.
...To One of England's Most Popular Christmas Markets:
Today, Lincoln's Christmas Market is not only one of the most important events on the city's annual calendar, it is also one of the favorites of hundreds of thousands of visitors to England. It can get very crowded but the crowds are in such good spirits that nobody minds.
Not Just About Shopping:
The whole festive atmosphere is what makes this market so special. Traders, their decorated stalls glowing with Christmas lights, dress up in Victorian costumes and compete for the Best Stall prize. There are roasted chestnuts, hot mulled wine and the tiny mince pies that are a Christmas tradition in the UK.
Hand bell ringers and local choirs perform by candlelight. There's street theatre and you can take a time out at services in Lincoln's spectacular Cathedral.
And to buy?:
There are gifts from local and regional craftspeople as well as traders from throughout Europe. As a reminder of its German inspiration, the market always has a good selection of seasonal German treats - Gluhwein, Bratwurst, German cookies, cakes and wine.
A fun fair, with a big ferris wheel is also part of the celebration.
