Lincoln was home to the famous Lincoln Christmas Market, where thousands of visitors would venture up Steep Hill. However, local businesses situated up the hill have already seen a decline in their profits.
With no market this year, shops, restaurants, and bars up Steep Hill will have seen less footfall and cash in their tills.
The Magna Carta at the top of Steep Hill, would have seen one of its busiest weekends during the market. Manager Louise Medhurst said, “our bookings are down to almost a quarter of what they would be during the market, we’re really losing business.”
The popular pub has already started to suffer this year.
“We’ve already seen a decrease in our monthly intake, I’m worried for my staff and the business. The market would guarantee us a flock of customers,” she said.
Some stalls were placed inside the castle grounds. Jude Smith has worked at Lincoln Castle for the past five years throughout the market.
“It’s such a shame that the Christmas market has gone, it brought a huge joy to the city along with new tourists that would come back all year round,” she said.
In 2022, the market was shut after overcrowding, with over 300,000 people showing up across four days and a maximum capacity of 250,000. The Council decided that it was security risk and instead will use the funding throughout the year.
This December marks the first year in four decades without Lincoln Christmas Market. Locals and tourists weren’t happy about the closure with multiple petitions set up to keep it going. However, all petitions were denied by Lincoln City Council.
The Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Thomas Dyer was quoted: “The City Council’s alternative events program does not and will never replace the Christmas Market.”
Christmas for Lincoln businesses and residences will forever be different without the Christmas Market. With closest Christmas markets being Nottingham or York, profits will be brought to other cities.
The market was Lincoln’s famous event that consistently brought in new tourists, but from this year Lincoln’s Christmas is now different, for worse or for better.
For more information, please follow this link: https://democratic.lincoln.gov.uk/documents/s68428/Notice%20of%20Motion%20-%20Lincoln%20Christmas%20Market.pdf