Lincoln Christmas Market attracts more than 300,000 visitors
- Published
Saturday was one of the busiest on record, organiser said
Lincoln Christmas Market has recorded its busiest event in its 40-year history.
Organisers of the market - one of the longest-running in the UK - said more than 300,000 people visited between Thursday and Sunday.
Crowd control measures were also brought in on Saturday, one of the busiest days on record, they said.
Despite its success, organisers issued an apology after some visitors complained about overcrowding.
Simon Colburn, from City of Lincoln Council, who was one of the event commanders, said: "It was incredibly busy on Saturday afternoon - overall our busiest market on record - we welcomed over 300,000 people over the four-day period.
"I'd just like to say I know a lot of people had an amazing market [but] a few didn't on Saturday afternoon, and we are really sorry about that and we hope they will come back again."
Queues formed in the grounds of Lincoln Castle
People using the park and ride service also faced long delays for a time on Saturday
Mr Colburn said CCTV cameras and a police drone were used to monitor the crowds, with diversions being introduced for a short time on Saturday to ensure people were safe.
Queues formed inside Lincoln Castle, with some visitors reporting they were unable to get to access the stalls.
"That is the joy and pleasure of it, with the backdrop of the cathedral and castle, but at times a medieval castle with narrow entrances that can work against us," Mr Colburn added.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Writing on social media organisers said: "We are experiencing a very busy Saturday evening - please bear with us as we manage crowds."
Responding to the post one visitor said the experience "felt like a herd of cattle being pushed about" while another said they left after 10 minutes.
Some, however, praised the event and said they enjoyed the atmosphere on Saturday while others chose to visit at quieter periods.
"I went yesterday [Sunday] and it was brilliant. Hardly any crowds and got to see everything," one post said.
Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk, external.
Related Topics
- Published6 December 2021
- Published9 July 2020
- Published6 December 2019
- Published29 October 2019
- Published10 December 2017
