Lincoln Christmas Market cancelled

A statement released by the council says that this is to prioritise the safety of all those visiting and operating the market.

The Christmas market has taken place in Lincoln since 1982.

It is widely considered to be the oldest Christmas market in the country.

Simon Colburn, Assistant Director for Health and Environmental Services at City of Lincoln Council said:

“This has not been an easy decision to make, but the health and wellbeing of staff, traders, residents and visitors is of upmost importance to us.

“The threat of coronavirus is likely to last for a significant amount of time, and to hold the Lincoln Christmas Market, where social distancing would be impossible, our priority must be the safety of all those involved.

“Given that the Christmas Lights Switch on is a static event with crowd densities of around 2-3 people per square metre in front of the stage, it would also be difficult to hold a normal Christmas lights switch on if social distancing exists in any form in December.

“Currently, we are in discussions to bring smaller, alternative events to the city, to ensure the Christmas spirit remains alive, and to help the local economy during the festive period.”

Usually, the market consists of more than 200 temporary stalls in the city for four days. with around 250,000 visitors.

It has been well publicised that many local and national events have been cancelled or postponed in to next year.

This includes small community events up to very large events – both indoors and outdoors.

City of Lincoln Council have also cancelled any other city council-organised events which see a large footfall in the city over the next six months.

Sadly, this includes both the Lincoln Christmas Market and the city centre’s Christmas lights switch-on.