Lincoln Christmas Market 2015 Superguide

The 33rd Lincoln Christmas Market will officially open for visitors on Thursday, December 3, with around 250,000 people expected to descend on the historic uphill quarter of the city for a festive weekend of food, drink, gifts and entertainment.

Check out The Lincolnite’s top ten stalls at this year’s Christmas market

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Opening times

• Thursday, December 3: Midday to 9.30pm
• Friday, December 4: 10am to 9.30pm
• Saturday, December 5: 10am to 9.30pm
• Sunday, December 6: 10am to 7pm

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What to expect at the market

• Lincoln’s traditional Christmas Market is one of the oldest in the UK
• People can this year tour around 200 stalls, nestled in the medieval square, castle grounds and The Lawn.
• There will be 50 authentic wooden chalets among stalls.
• Don’t miss the Medieval Christmas Market at the Medieval Bishops’ Palace, and the Christmas Artists’ Village at St Martin’s Square for more unique, festive markets during the weekend.
• Food lovers can enjoy an improved food and drink area at The Lawn.

• From its beginnings in 1982, with just 11 stalls, the German-inspired Christmas market now takes over most of the cultural quarter of the city, with festivities expanding cross the wider area.
• Stalls include hand-made crafts, gifts, jewellery, candles, toys, art, local produce, food and drink.
• The German link is still strong with traditional crafts, food and drink.
• The market brings in more than £10 million to the local economy each year.
• Full details of entertainment at the market can be found here.

Take a tour of last year’s market:

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Park and Ride

There is no parking in the vicinity of the Christmas Market so all cars should use the dedicated Christmas Market Park and Ride service which operates from the Lincolnshire Showground on the A15 just north of Lincoln.

The park and ride site will be well sign posted on all approach roads and for those using a sat nav the postcode is LN2 2NA. There is also a dedicated service for people with disabilities, using specially adapted vehicles which also runs from the showground.

All buses drop off close to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

The service costs £12 per car if pre-booked. Click here to pre-book.

On the day charges per car are:

• Thursday £13
• Friday £13
• Saturday £15
• Sunday £14
• A vehicle carrying 8 to 15 people is classed as a mini bus and the fee for per vehicle is £25

The service is on a fill and go basis and/or a frequency of every 7 minutes, whichever is sooner. Timings may be subject to variation subject to weather conditions and numbers of visitors.

Operating times are as follows:

• Thursday 3 December: 11.30am – 10pm
• Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December: 9am – 10pm
• Sunday 6 December: 9am – 7:30pm

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Layout

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Travelling by bus

• Bus operators have scheduled extra services throughout the market weekend.

• Shuttle buses will run from Lincoln Central Train Station. People can get on an open top bus at Lincoln Bus Station) opposite the train station every 10 minutes. This service costs (adults) £1.15 single or £2.20 return, or 60p for a child’s single, £1.10 for a return ticket.
• A Walk and Ride Shuttle runs from Silver Street to Pottergate every 20 minutes. This service costs £1.60 for an adult’s single and 90p for a child’s single.

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Travelling by train

• Travellers by train can visit Lincoln in style with a special steam train from London. The British Pullman Steam Train will leave London Victoria on Friday, December 4 at 8:30am and includes brunch, a four-course dinner with champagne and half a bottle of wine per person on return trip. The trip costs £395 per person. More information can be found here.
• East Midlands Trains is adding a further 14,000 seats for the Lincoln Christmas Market. Click here for train timetables.

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Taxi numbers

A full list of taxi numbers for Lincoln and the surrounding areas can be found here. 

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Road closures and restrictions

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Further information

• No dogs are allowed to attend the market, with the exception of guide dogs.
• All information regarding access for disabled visitors can be found here.
• Robust security is in place throughout the weekend to ensure visitor safety. Read more.

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Social Media

You can follow updates and highlights from this year’s Lincoln Christmas Market by following:

• @thelincolnite
• @lincolnelf
• #LinolnChristmasMarket

Look out for live coverage of the market on The Lincolnite, including a ‘Top Ten Stalls’ list after opening.

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