If you’re planning a visit and would like to know what’s going on in Lincoln during your stay, there’s a website here which has a really good guide.

The next six weeks or so are a great time to come to Lincoln, with lots of things going on. A historic city with a lot of atmosphere and beautiful architecture is always a great place to soak up the magic of Christmas, but Lincoln has it down to a fine art. Around 150,000 people usually visit for the Christmas market, and once they’ve seen what Lincoln has to offer they often come back at other times of the year to explore the area further.

Lincoln Christmas Market has been going since 1982, when it was founded as a gesture of friendship with Lincoln’s twin town of Neustadt in Germany. The first Christmas Market had just 11 stalls. This year there’s over 250 stalls expected selling everything from food and drink to beautiful jewellery, handmade toys and ceramics. Enjoy a cup of mulled wine or a hot chocolate with cream as you wander around looking at the many enticing products on offer, do a bit of Christmas shopping or maybe indulge in an early present to yourself!

The Christmas Market runs from midday on Thursday December 5^th to 7pm on Sunday 8^th. If you’re staying during that time, there are other things to do too. On the Friday of the Christmas Market there’s the added bonus of the Farmer’s Market downhill in City Square, where there’s also a temporary ice rink in place! The Saturday has a craft market at the same location, while back uphill all weekend, there’s a Victorian Christmas event at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, complete with characters in period costume. Other sites to be seen in the city include the special steam-hauled trains which often pass through the level crossings while the market is on.

Other events coming up include the Select Lincolnshire Christmas Food and Drink fair at the showground on the 23^rd and 24^th of November, which describes itself as a place to “fill stockings and stomachs”. Later there’s  Lincoln’s Reindeer Parade, and the Christmas celebrations at Doddington Hall.

On an entirely different note, there are also regular open days at the University of Lincoln so if you have a child looking at university next year, why not take the excuse to make a weekend of it with the family!