Lincoln Christmas Market: More visitors than pre-pandemic

A Christmas market which was forced to cancel last year due to coronavirus restrictions saw more visitors this year than before the pandemic.

Organisers of Lincoln's festive market, which is one of the longest-running in the UK, said more than 275,000 people visited between Thursday and Sunday.

Despite a requirement for people to wear face coverings visitor numbers were up 15% on 2019, they added.

The event in Castle Square featured more than 150 stalls and a big wheel.

The market has been running since 1982 and has only been cancelled once before because of snow and ice.

This year, wet weather led to the park and ride facility closing on Sunday, but alternative parking was signposted.

Organisers wanted to prevent any issues with vehicles leaving the facility at the end of the day.

Simon Colburn from Lincoln City Council said: "It was cold and crisp and the flurry of snow was fantastic. Sadly it was a bit drizzly later on in the weekend but on Thursday when it opened, the snow was beautiful.

"We think we got around 276,000 people over the weekend, that is certainly up considerably on 2019.

"Hopefully the traders did really well, and the local businesses did really well."

He said the return of the market had been "really important for the city".

Victoria McGowan-Smyth, from The Jewellery Stop stall, said: "It has made a fantastic difference to our business, the market has been superb. It's a fantastic turnout."

Sculptor Ian Gill, who also had a stall at the market, added: "It's so nice to see the people back again, we've been through a real rough time over the past few years but it's bringing it back and the market is fantastic."

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