Council scraps Lincoln Christmas Market after 40 years

Lincoln Christmas Market has been officially scrapped by the council after 40 years.

City of Lincoln Council's executive committee met on Monday, 20 February, to discuss the future of the market after announcing it could be cancelled ten days ago.

The committee members made a final decision this evening to scrap the market and use its £260,000 budget on a series of smaller events throughout the year.

Councillor Rit Metcalfe, the leader of the council, said he "regrets that they didn't make internal discussions about the event more public" but that if the market continued growing at the rate it has then it will become unsafe.

He added: "Our current market has gotten way too big. It's pretty clear that most people recognise that fact."

It comes after last year's four-day event attracted a record 320,000 visitors.

The council added that they will consult with residents and businesses about what new events will look like.

Councillor Chris Burke said: "Our paramount responsibility is to ensure visitors are safe.

"We're not saying goodbye to Christmas, we're going to enhance the Christmas spirit in our city. It will give us all an opportunity to celebrate Christmas in Lincoln together."

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