UK's oldest Christmas market closes because it's too popular, leaving locals devastated

9 November 2023, 18:23

The oldest Christmas market in the UK has been shut down because of being too popular, leaving locals very upset.

The Christmas market in the eastern town of Lincoln has been going since 1982, but has been scrapped this year in favour of a series of smaller events.

It appears the market may have been a victim of its own success: the 2022 edition attracted some 320,000 visitors.

But this year the City of Lincoln Council decided to scrap the market because of fears of overcrowding, citing safety concerns.

The market dates back to when three councillors visited Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Lincoln's twin town in Germany.

They went during Neustadt's own Christmas market, and were so impressed by the concept that they decided to stage their own in Lincoln.

The market began with 11 stalls, but was seen as a success, and grew over the years to include fairground rides.

The market was not held in 2010 because of snow, and it was also cancelled in 2020 because of Covid-19.

Instead of the Christmas market, the council will spend its £260,000 festive budget on a series of events called 'Christmas in Lincoln' in December.

Lincoln residents are sad about the change.

One local told Lincolnshire Live: "Very sad to see the market go."

"[It] was the highlight of the Christmas lead-up for me. Lots of happy memories I hope it will be brought back in the future."

Paul Catlow, a local hotel owner, said he would probably miss out on revenue related to the market.

"There was no consultation whatsoever so it was a complete surprise and I don’t know anybody in the hotel world who was consulted," he said.

"I think blown-up monsters and an ice trail are never going to replace the revenue the market generated."

City of Lincoln Council leader Ric Metcalfe said: "Our current market has gotten way too big. It's pretty clear that most people recognise that fact. This isn't a creature of a social media frenzy or idiosyncrasies of this particular year.

"It is a long term trend we're seeing that drives us to the inevitable conclusion that we need to make fundamental changes. If it goes on growing at its current rate, it certainly will become unsafe.

"And public safety has to be, as a public authority, our number one consideration.

"Lincoln is a highly successful tourist and visitor attraction. We've got some fantastic assets. We have a terrific base upon which to build something new and I hope everyone will join us to make sure we get the same benefits, but in a fundamentally different way to the current market."