West Lindsey Churches Festival

Over 100 historic churches welcome visitors at the 2025 West Lindsey Churches Festival

Lovers of heritage and history can enjoy two weekends of experiences, completely free of charge, as 103 historic churches and chapels invite them to pay a visit this May. 

(Please note each church sets their own opening times during these weekends, please check the website or brochure for exact details)

The West Lindsey Churches Festival (now in its 28th year) offers visitors a chance to discover buildings located across the stunning landscape of West Lindsey, just north of Lincoln and encompassing Gainsborough, Caistor and Market Rasen.

And, for the first time, organisers are delighted to announce that eighteen churches in North Lincolnshire will be joining the festival, just across the border.

The first weekend (10-11 May) will see 52 churches take part in the west of the district, with 51 churches opening for the second weekend (17-18 May) to the east.

Each church offers a unique experience that could include stunning architecture, stained glass, fascinating wood carvings, historic monuments, graveyards full of stories and traditional church organs (some of which the public are welcome to play). Many buildings are also located in the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

And alongside all that heritage and landscape is the welcome church volunteers bring to the event, including their knowledge of local history, delicious homemade cakes and lunches, plant and book sales, flower displays, exhibitions and bell ringing.

Anyone interested in a spot of “church crawling” this May (the name given to the hobby of visiting churches!) should visit the website www.churchesfestival.info. There they will find a page for each church taking part (easily reached via the A-Z listing page) and a Google pin map to plan a tour. People can also browse a 44 page event brochure via the website, or order a hard copy.