If you're planning to celebrate Christmas in Lincoln this year, you are in for a treat. With great shops, beautiful light displays and a whole host of events to enjoy, this historic city is the perfect place to kick off a season of celebrations.
Lincoln will be welcoming Christmas early this year, with a series of festive events taking place from November onwards:
Lincoln Christmas Lights
An event that marks the start of the festive season in the city, Lincoln's Christmas lights will be turned on on Thursday 28 November. The switch-on celebrations will kick off at 4.00pm, with a whole host of entertainment taking place on the High Street. Live music, performances and activities are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit, ahead of the main switch-on at 7pm.
The city will be illuminated from Newport Arch to St Marks Street, with some dazzling installations to look out for along the way. This year sees the return of the stunning fairy-light display within Exchequer Gate Arch and the 16m illuminated comet in City Square!
Lincoln Christmas Lights Trail
Launching alongside the lights on the 28 November will be the annual Lincoln Christmas Lights Trail. There will be some brand-new lights joining the trail for 2024, alongside some of your favourite displays from last year. These larger-than-life light installations will be illuminating the city streets until the end of December, so you will have plenty of time to track them all down - capturing some magical memories along the way.
As you make you way along the trail, share your photos with us on social media, using #ChristmasInLincoln.
Thor’s Tipi Bar
Nothing says Christmas like a festive drink by a roaring fire. Luckily, Thor’s Tipi Bar will be returning to Lincoln with both on the 8 November.
This popular pop-up will be situated in the Cornhill Quarter throughout the festive season; visit during the day for a hot chocolate, or stop by in the evening for a Christmas cocktail. As always, Thor’s will be serving up a selection of deliciously festive drinks, alongside local ales, spirits and food.
There will also be an open mic night every Thursday from 7pm, so you can catch some live music - or perform yourself!
Late-night Shopping
To make your Christmas shopping easier, a number of businesses in the city centre will be extending their opening hours for the festive season. In the run up to Christmas, you can enjoy late night shopping every Thursday in December. To make things even better, you can also enjoy free parking in selected council car parks on late-night shopping dates, using using the Pay By Phone app.
Selected shops will be open until 8pm on:
• Thursday 28 November (light switch-on)
• Thursday 5 December
• Thursday 12 December
• Thursday 19 December
As a special treat this year, many of the independent businesses in the Cathedral Quarter will also be opening for late-night shopping on the same dates. To make the atmosphere uphill even more more magical, there will also be some festive entertainment, including a performance from the City of Lincoln Band.
Shoppers can enjoy free parking in the Cathedral Quarter on late-night shopping dates, using the PaybyPhone app.
Lincoln Ice Adventure
Following on from the success of the Ice Trail last year, the Lincoln Ice Adventure is set to transform the city into a winter wonderland. This magical event will see a series of larger-than-life ice sculptures dotted across the entire city, forming a fun and festive trail. There will be 20 ice sculptures to track down – some of which will be Lincoln-themed!
Alongside the trail, there will be a variety of other festive activities taking place throughout the weekend, including live ice carving demonstrations at the Cathedral.
With sparkling installations, live entertainment and plenty of Christmas joy, this impressive ice trail is the perfect way to start your festive celebrations. As you follow the trail, you can soak up all the sights and sounds of the season under the new lights - with plenty of hot choccy stops along the way!
Lincoln Castle Illuminated
Lincoln Castle will be sprinkling some festive sparkle over the city this year, with the return of their magical Castle Illuminated experience. Visit on selected dates in December and you can enjoy the castle’s beautiful grounds after dark, as they are brought to life with lights and decorations.
Explore the historic grounds, take a trip down Candy Cane Lane, and give your warmest season’s greetings to the castle’s resident dragons – Lucy and Norman. This year, there will be some new additions to this much-loved event, from traditional fairground rides to a Mini Polar Express - all aboard! As no Christmas event would be complete without some deliciously festive food, the castle will also be hosting a variety of local vendors who will be offering sweet treats and winter warmers.
If you’d like to take in the spectacular sights from above, Lincoln Castle will also be illuminating their Medieval Wall Walk. Upgrade your Illuminated ticket to include the wall walk and you will be rewarded with the most incredible views across the night sky and the city below.
Meet Santa in Lincoln
Children will be pleased to know that Father Christmas will be making a return to Lincoln this year. For those not on the naughty list, Santa and his elves will be at Waterside Shopping Centre throughout the festive season, from 23 November until Christmas Eve.
This year, you’ll find Santa’s Grotto hidden within the Christmas tree on the lower ground level, near New Look and Superdrug. You will have the chance to meet all the elves, before heading inside to hand over your wish list to the man himself. If you’ve been good this year, you may even receive an extra little gift to open on the big day.
Father Christmas will also be popping up at other locations across Lincolnshire throughout December, find out where you can meet him here.
Santa Fun Run
If you’re looking for an opportunity to burn off those pre-Christmas mince pies, we’ve got good news…Lincoln’s annual Santa Fun Run is back! Now in its 18th year, this much-loved event is one of the longest running festive fun runs in the UK.
This year’s race will take place on Sunday 15 December. Starting from Castle Square, the route will run through Lincoln’s historic Cathedral Quarter, with a grand finish in Minster Yard.
Even if you don’t take part in the actual race, it’s worth digging out your Christmas jumper and coming down to support the runners. The atmosphere is brilliant - and it’s not often you get the opportunity to see 2000 Santas sprinting down the street!
Christmas at Doddington
For an unforgettable experience, visit Doddington Hall this Christmas. As always, this beautiful Elizabethan home will be completely transformed for the festive period.
As you journey through the hall, you will discover spectacular scenes in every room. Each imaginative display has been created by either Doddington's staff and volunteers, local artists or students from Lincoln College. As this year’s theme is ‘A Christmas Chorus’, you can expect to hear plenty of festive music as you explore. From classic jazz tunes to modern pop hits, it's time to step into the music of Christmas - with a Doddington twist of course!
To make things even more special, Doddington will be extending their opening hours on selected dates this year, so you can enjoy the warm glow of decorations and twinkling fairy lights after dark.
To see the full range of festive events in Lincoln, visit our dedicated Christmas in Lincoln page.