Five-year deal to keep Asylum steampunk festival in Lincoln

The future of a major steampunk festival has been secured after a deal to keep it in Lincoln for the next five years was agreed.

The Asylum festival - held annually in August - attracts up to 100,000 people each year and is believed to be worth about £2.5m to the local economy.

Plans had been drawn up to hold a smaller event in Newark this year due to Covid concerns, but were scrapped after the host venue closed.

The festival will now return in 2022.

Organiser John Naylor said: "Lincoln has provided a spectacular backdrop for the steampunk community's creativity since 2009 so we are delighted to be able to return.

"Covid looked like putting the kybosh on absolutely everything - so to be able to come out the other side, [and] with a plan to build and be more spectacular is just phenomenal," he said.

"What I'm really hoping for is Lincoln will end up with a festival as big and world-famous as the Edinburgh Fringe."

As part of next year's festival, Mr Naylor said they were looking to host a ball at the city's cathedral.

"As far as we know, nobody has ever filled a place like the medieval cathedral with 500 incredibly well-dressed steampunks.

"We want to bring total magic and splendour to Lincoln," he added.

The agreement involved officials from both the county and city councils, along with Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG).

Sarah Loftus, chief executive of Lincoln BIG, said she was "over the moon".

"It's good for business, it's good for tourism and it's good for Lincoln," she said.

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].