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 Thursday 27 November. The switch-on celebrations will kick off at 5.00pm, 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 a new light tunnel feature in City Square!
Thor’s Tipi Bar
Nothing says Christmas like a festive drink by a roaring fire and Thors Tipi has you covered!
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.
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 the Pay By Phone app.
Selected shops will be open until 8pm on:
• Thursday 27 November (light switch-on)
• Thursday 4 December
• Thursday 11 December
• Thursday 18 December
Lincoln Ice Adventure
Making it's festive return Lincoln Ice Adventure is set to transform the city into a winter wonderland and this year, the mischievous Lincoln Imp has been up to no good! The Imp has cast a spell that’s turned the city into ice, and it’s up to families and festive explorers to find the 14 hand-carved Lincoln-themed ice sculptures hidden around the city centre to unfreeze Lincoln and bring back the Christmas joy! Organised by City of Lincoln Council’s Events in Lincoln team, this free, family-friendly adventure invites participants to uncover each letter of a magical word by visiting every ice sculpture. Once all 14 letters have been found, decipher the word to break the spell, and Lincoln’s festive spirit will be restored! To join the fun, visitors can pick up a free Ice Adventure guide from the Lincoln Visitor Information Centre. You can also download and print the guide here.
Each sculpture, crafted by the talented artists at Icebox, will celebrate a piece of Lincoln’s unique history, culture, and Christmas charm. Families also have the opportunity to submit their own creative designs at the Post Box Ice Sculpture on High Bridge, with the winning idea being brought to life for next year’s Lincoln Ice Adventure! You can last year's winning design in St Paul in the Bail! 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, alongside a variety of festive performances including showcases from Guiding Sparks and Aura Performances and the traditional FFN Glühwein stall returning to Castle Square, bringing festive warmth and seasonal cheer.
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.
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral has a full programme of Christmas events for the whole family to enjoy. From concerts and carols by candlelight to craft events and tours, you're sure to find something you'll love.
The Cathedral is open daily from Morning Prayer until the end of Evensong or Evening Prayer. Please check the weekly service schedule for times and details of services.
Visit the Cathedral's events page for full details.
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 22 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 20th 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 14 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 Fairytale Christmas' you can expect to experience plenty of wonder as you explore. Step into a land of magical fairytales as the displays unfold over three floors of the Elizabethan Hall, with a Doddington twist of course!
To see the full range of festive events in Lincoln, visit our dedicated Christmas in Lincoln page.