Events replacing Christmas market in Lincoln announced
They include an ice sculpture trail and inflatable monsters
Inflatable monsters, ice sculptures and a sea of festive lights are just some of the highlights of a new events programme revealed for Lincoln today following the scrapping of the City's Christmas market.
Safety concerns related to overcrowding led to it being dropped.
An ice sculpture trail will be the key event in December.
There'll also be a Christmas lights trail launched in November with bigger lights and more of them.
They'll go from Newport Arch to the High Street.
Inflatable monsters, live music, a Christmas lights trail and ice sculptures will go ahead
Infact one of the ideas is to attract tourists to different parts of the city centre.
The Market largely saw benefits to traders in and around the Bailgate area.
There'll be music in September for "Lincoln Live."
And for the October half term there are a host of inflatable monsters which will be unleashed on the public.
Events already established like Steampunk, the 1940s Weekend and Lincoln Pride will be enhanced.
It's being stressed the council is looking at building further on the programme in 2024 by assessing this years events and adding to them.
It might not be everything everyone would have wanted but I think it's an excellent offer
We spoke to Councillor Cllr Naomi Tweddle, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council.
She said: “Events in Lincoln is our flagship programme of activity to help benefit residents, businesses and visitors alike.
“Lincoln is a fantastic place to live and visit and we have taken on board requests and ideas from people across the city to form this initial programme of free events ahead of the 2024 launch.
“From live music to family-friendly trails, we have created a series of activities and enhancements to existing events to introduce a programme for all ages, which will benefit the wider city economy.”
"I appreciate it's not necessarily everything everyone would have wanted instead of the Christmas market this year but I think it's an excellent offer and I think the fact that they're free is really important."
"But equally they're family friendly, you can bring your brothers, sisters, your friends, your dog, your grandma and everyone will have a good time."
Summary for 2023 events.
1940s weekend: 22-23 July
Lincoln Pride: 19-20 August
Steampunk: 25-29 August
Lincoln Live: 2-3 September
Lincoln Monster Invasion: 23-29 October
Lincoln Christmas Light Switch-on: 23 November
Lincoln Ice Trail: 9-10 December
Full Photo Credit: Installation by Designs in Air. Artists: Luke Egan and Pete Hamilton - AKA Filthy Luker & Pedro Estrellas. © Terry Rook - Glance Image