Lincoln Christmas market to be replaced with ice trail and live music event

Lincoln's Christmas market was cancelled due to costs and overcrowding concerns

An ice sculpture trail and two-day live music event are among the plans put forward to replace Lincoln's Christmas Market.

The annual market, which began in 1982, was axed earlier this year due to concerns about overcrowding.

Lincoln City Council said it wanted to replace the event with a series of smaller offerings throughout the year.

Councillor Naomi Tweddle said there had been a "very positive" response to the plans 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 told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"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."

The inflatable monsters will offer family-friendly fun in October

Lincoln Christmas Market attracted record crowds in 2022, with 320,000 people visiting over four days - a rise on its ideal 250,000 limit.

Announcing plans to call time on the market, the council said having "so many people in a small area can be uncomfortable" and cutting the event would allow the £260,000 budget to be spread throughout the year.

In addition to the new events, the council said other regular events such as the 1940s weekend and the Steampunk Festival would be enhanced.

"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," Ms Tweddle said.

An ice trail and carving demonstrations will feature over the festive season

The 2023 program includes a free two-day music event in the city centre in September, dubbed Lincoln Live, which will be organised in collaboration with BBC Introducing.

The Monster Invasion has been scheduled for the October half-term and will feature giant inflatable monsters on the roofs of city centre buildings.

The two-day Christmas Lincoln event will feature an ice trail with six ice sculptures dotted around the city centre and ice carving demonstrations taking place at Lincoln Cathedral.

Christmas lights will also be extended down to St Mark's creating, what the council said would be "Instagram-worthy installations" across the city centre.