Christmas
Lincoln Christmas Market: What Happened, and What Runs Now
Photo: Keith Owen / Google
Lincoln's famous four-day street market ended after 2022. A much smaller, ticketed market now runs inside the cathedral. Here is what changed, what to expect in 2026, and whether it is still worth the trip.
For forty years, Lincoln's Christmas market was one of the biggest in Europe: four days in early December when the streets around the castle and cathedral filled with stalls and, at its peak, a quarter of a million visitors. People still search for it every autumn. The honest answer is that the market as most people remember it no longer exists — but Lincoln at Christmas is still well worth a visit.
At a glance
What changed: the big street market ended after 2022. What runs now: a ticketed market inside Lincoln Cathedral, 3 to 5 December 2026. Booking: essential. Best for: a smaller, quieter Christmas shop in a remarkable building.
What happened
The market began in 1982 with just eleven stalls, after a council visit to Lincoln's German twin town, Neustadt an der Weinstraße. It grew into an event the city struggled to accommodate, and the final one was held in 2022. In February 2023 the City of Lincoln Council formally ended it, in favour of festive events spread across the city instead.
What runs now
The Cathedral Christmas Market
Lincoln Cathedral now hosts its own, much smaller market inside the cathedral and its grounds. In 2026 it runs from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 December, in timed sessions, and pre-booked tickets are essential. Shopping under that vaulted nave is a very different experience from the old street market — quieter, more contained, and arguably more memorable.
Across the city
Through December, smaller festive markets, late-night shopping and live music pop up around the city, along with events at the castle and cathedral. Visit Lincoln publishes the programme as it is confirmed.
Is it still worth the trip?
Yes, if you go for Lincoln rather than for a market. The setting that made the old market special is unchanged: the cathedral, which for more than two centuries was the tallest building in the world, and the castle, which holds one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta.
Climb Steep Hill
The old route between the lower town and the cathedral quarter is lined with independent shops and medieval houses, and is at its best in the early dark of a December evening.
Practical notes
Making a weekend of it
The castle walls
Lincoln Castle's medieval wall walk gives views over the cathedral and the city, and the castle's Victorian prison is open to visitors too. Both are a few minutes from the cathedral.
Down the hill
At the bottom of the city, the Brayford waterfront has restaurants and bars around the old inland harbour, and The Collection museum and the Usher Gallery sit between the two halves of town. Our listings cover more things to do in Lincoln and places to eat.
Book the cathedral market sessions as soon as they are released, and book accommodation around the date you get. You can browse hotels in Lincoln or cottages near Lincoln, and our guide to UK Christmas market breaks covers the larger markets if you want the big-crowd experience.
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