November's Guide to Pockets of Lincolnshire Festiveness

Bonfire night and Follie's birthday celebrations have been and gone and as we step towards the festive season, Lincolnshire is filling up with cozy, holiday-spirited events. With a mix of local food, craft and arts markets, late night shopping, vintage fairs, heartwarming community events to kickstart your Christmas countdown. These are just some of my personal picks, so I've shared some other great souces of whats going on around our great county at the bottom of the page.

17th November - big craft event,

lincolnshire showground

Sunday 17th November - 10.00am - 4.00pm A celebration of Lincolnshire's best crafters and artists brought together at one carefully curated event showcasing contemporary and traditional skills. For more detailed information please visit their website

17th november - vintage flea market, lincolnshire showground

Sunday 17th November - 7.00am till 3.00pm A vibrant indoor weekend flea market, organised by Arthur Swallow is made successful by a loyal roster of traders and an enthusiastic following of visitors of all ages. An event with a great atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to bag a bargain and enjoy a rummage.

19th November - st barnabas annual torchlight procession, bailgate, lincoln

Tuesday 19th November - A magical evening of remembrance. Participants of the St Barnabas Annual Torchlight Procession walk through the streets of Bailgate and Uphill Lincoln, carrying flaming torches in memory of loved ones, in a powerful and beautiful tribute.

24th november - craft & flea,

engine shed, lincoln

Sunday 24th November - 10.00 am till 4pm. Craft + Flea is a spin on the makers market, bringing together talented, independent makers, designers, producers and collectors, each handpicked for their quality, on-trend products. We don't define ourselves as a craft market or a flea market but a great mixture of local talent and finds.

• 
  

24th November - Oxcombe christmas artisan market, Oxcombe, Horncastle

Sunday 24th November - 10am - 3pm Christmas Artisan Market in the Lincolnshire Wolds, with an amazing selection of crafts for sale, pottery throwing sessions, makers gallery, and festive food & drink by Holly's Kitchen Garden

28th november - advent wreath festival, st mary magdelene church, bailgate

Wednesday 28th November - 19th December - Lincoln's annual Wreath Festival will be returning to the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene this Christmas. A beloved event will showcasing wreaths, all created and crafted by the local businesses. This is a free event, but donations are invited.

28th november - uphill lincoln late night christmas shopping, bailgate & steephill

Thursday 28th November and 5th, 12th & 9th December - Join Follie and other local independent shops and eateries for festive late night opening and experience the magic of Lincoln's historic Bailgate & Steep Hill. *FREE PARKING IN UPHILL CAR PARKS FROM 4-9.30PM

(only when using the 'pay-by-phone' app) *PLEASE CHECK WITH INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES FOR OPENING TIMES

Follie will be open for all 4 nights, till 7pm

30th november - lincolnshire food & gift fair, lincolnshire showground

Saturday 30th November - Sunday 1st December 10am - 4pm Experience the joy of the festive season at this year’s Lincolnshire Food & Gift event, with over 150 exhibitors, live performances by local choirs, cooking demonstrations, and festive fun for kids, this is an event the whole family can enjoy. Showcasing the very best that our county produces.

As they say, better late than never, so hopefully your November diary has a few spaces left to include one of these events, I'd highly recommend the late night shopping though. As I've also mentioned before, there are some brilliant guides to other events happening throughout the county. My go to websites are Visit Lincoln, Visit Lincolnshire and I also always read the What's On Guide published by the Lincoln Independent every month, both in paperback and digitally

Embracing our Lincolnshire Autumn Spirit this October

Soup season has certainly started and with the 1st October being Lincolnshire Day, this month is packed full of spooky fun & pumpkins. Here are just a very few of events I've spotted, and there are more comprehensive guides by the Lincoln Independent, Visit Lincoln and Visit Lincolnshire, which I've linked at the bottom of the page

SUNDAY 6th october - stourton woods open day

Sunday 6th October - Autumn really is one of our favourite times of year to come and enjoy the colours and walk around the estate. Come along and enjoy the trails, bring your pooch (on leads please) and spot the deer in the parks. www.stourtonestates.co.uk

friday 11th october - fright night, manor farm, lusby

Friday 11th October - Brace yourself for a night of terror, enter the bone chilling maze where you will meet a range of characters along the way, with no tellingwhere the next scare will come from. www.manor-farm-shop.com

12th october - lincoln sausage festival, lincoln castle

Saturday 12th October - Enjoy the marvellous celebration of Lincolnshire Sausages at the Lincoln Sausage Festival, held in the grounds of Lincoln Castle each October. Featuring The Cosmic Sausages, Mr & Mrs Sausage, Cookery demos with Chef Rachael Green, Juggling Jim, Colour Ms Happy Face Painting, Earth Bound Misfits delivering Circus Skills Workshops, Sausages (of course) and much more! www.coloniarotary.co.uk

12th october - pumpkin picking dusk till dark, waddingworth

Saturday 12th October - 6 till 9pm. Enjoy an evening of music, fire, great food & of course Pumpkins.

entertainment includes stilt walking and fire breathing www.redhousefarmwaddingworth.co.uk

18th october - uphill lincoln pumpkin trail

Friday 18th October - 3rd November - Follow this fun family trail through the Cathedral Quarter.  Answer the questions along the way and you will be in with a chance of winning a monstorous prize! Pick up your free pumpkin trail map from the Visitor Information Centre or download a digital version from VisitLincoln

19th October - the big spook, lincoln

Saturday 19th October - FREE Halloween half term fun, with various events happening across the city! From ghosts and ghouls, to scarecrows and skeletons, there's something for everyone this spooky season! www.visitlincoln.co.uk

27th october, halloween pool party, jubilee park, woodhall spa

Sunday 27th October - 10am till 12noon - half term spooky swimming fun. If you go down to the park, you'll be in for a big spooky surprise with selfie booth, crafts, treasure hunt and more.

Jubilee Park Facebook Page

www.jubileeparkwoodhallspa./co.uk

Apologies that this is a less pretty guide this month, there is good reason, all will become clearer in the next few weeks. As I've mentioned before, there are some brilliant souces of event information available from various souces where you will find even more events happening. My go to websites are Visit Lincoln, Visit Lincolnshire and I also always read the What's On Guide published by the Lincoln Independent every month, both in paperback and digitally

A Spotlight on September Events in Lincolnshire

Welcome to September in Lincolnshire; summer is just about hanging on by a thread, but there's a vibrancy in the early autumn air brought on by a burst of activity and excitement from all the events planned for this month across the county. Whether you're a lover of the great outdoors, a foodie, a culture enthusiast, or just looking for a bit of fun, Lincolnshire has something special for you.

Kick off the month by taking an evening stroll around the historical uphill Cathedral Quarter, or take in the sights & sounds of the thrilling Burghley Horse Trials, set to captivate with equestrian excellence, while the Marvellous Makers Market and Food & Drink Fayre both promise to delight with artisanal crafts and culinary treats.

For those looking for something a little different, the Naughty Night Market offers an evening of cheeky fun, and the Crazy Races will have you cheering on the wildest of rides. Art lovers and bookworms can immerse themselves in a range of activities at Oxcombe Art & Ceramic Exhibition & the much-anticipated Lincoln Book Festival, where you’ll even have the chance to meet renowned chef & author Rick Stein.

SUNDAY 1st September - Naughty night market, southside

Your favourite alternative night market returns on Sunday 1st September at Southside. This is an 18+ only event, where you can enjoy a drink whilst you browse and shop all things on the cheeky side. Exhibitors include Banana Makes, Wildone Jewellery, Lottie & Lu, Jailhouse Frock, Inappropriate Bunting as well as delicious, mouth watering street food and fabulous music. £1 entry. 6-9pm

Tuesday 3rd September - Lincoln evening walking tour

Lincoln Free Walking Tour will guide you on this two hour evening walk through Lincoln’s historical, uphill quarter, starting in Castle Square. I’ve been on one of their Roman Walks earlier in the year and I can’t recommend them highly enough. I thought I knew a lot about Roman Lincoln, turns out I didn’t know the half of it!

5th September - Peace Doves, Lincoln Cathedral

This beautiful installation titled 'Peace Doves' by Peter Walker, is made up of 12,000 paper doves which will be suspended above the Cathedral’s Nave and accompanied by music composed by David Harper. On display from 5 September to 14 November 2024, the paper doves have all been written on with messages of peace, love & hope by members of the public visiting The Cathedral over the summer, local schools and communities groups. I wrote on one, so I'm particularly looking forward to going to see this.

5th - 8th September - burghley horse trials, stamford

Thursday 5th - Sunday 8th September - Burghley House is the setting for this weekend event attracting fantastic crowds who come to watch all the equestrian action unfold, as well as enjoying world renowned shopping avenues & trade stands, local food and drink and even the opportunity to camp overnight on the trials glamping site. All set in a truly stunning Lincolnshire location.

7th September - marvellous makers market, EXO centre

Saturday 7th September - Over 100 curated makers will be attending the inaugural Marvellous Makers Market to take place at the EXO Centre located on the Lincolnshire Showground. As well as the many workshops you can get involved with, exhibitors include local food and drink producers, creatives, artists & designers, with pretty much something for every taste & budget.

Sunday 8th September - food & drink Fayre, stourton woods

Sunday 8th September - Following on from the success of their popular artisan market, this will be the first Food & Drink Fayre held at Stourton Woods. The day offers a wide selection of quality Lincolnshire food & drink producers showcasing their goods in and around the Roundhouse in the woods. As well as demonstrations and talks from local producers, there will also be Farm Safaris on the estates tractor & trailer, a picnic area in the arboretum and relaxed music to create a fabulous atmosphere.

sunday 15th September - krazy races,

Lincoln Krazy Races will be the first of it's kind to be held in the city and is a free to attend. Its a national award winning soapbox derby event, aiming to bring all manner of wild and zany races to towns & cities across the U.K and beyond, while raising substantial funds for local charities. The event will see a mixture of individual, charity and business teams design, build and then race their handcrafted soap box down Danesgate, through chicanes, around obstacles and more (I'm thinking probably cobbles and perhaps a rogue pigeon).

21st - 22nd September - oxcombe art & ceramics exhibition

Returning for it's third year, Oxcombe Pottery's annual Art & Ceramics Exhibition offers a diverse selection of unique artwork and functional pottery, celebrating fantastic local creatives from Lincolnshire and beyond. Enjoy the idyllic surroundings of Oxcombe whilst exploring four gallery spaces to discover work by 25 artists and makers.Refreshments and delicious food from Holly’s Garden Kitchen will be available throughout the day.A wonderful event for all the family, well-behaved dogs welcome.

26th - 29th Lincoln book festival

Lincoln Book Festival attracts big name authors and rising stars of the publishing world to converge on Lincoln for four days of engaging talks, readings, discussions, workshops and Q&As. There’s a rich variety of free and paid events and activities to enjoy too, including competitions, podcast talks, open mic style performance events and much more. One of the star attractions, Rick Stein, who we know loves Lincolnshire produce following his visit to the county for his latest television programme 'Food Stories', he'll be at Waterstones signing copies of his new book to accompany the series.

*As I've mentioned before, this is only a very small, personal selection of events happening this month, there are some brilliant souces of event information available from various souces where you will find even more events happening. My go to websites I viti are Visit Lincoln, Visit Lincolnshire and I also always read the What's On Guide published by the Lincoln Independent every month, both in paperback and digitally