The upcoming Autumn/Winter calendar has been axed.
Manchester City Council has officially announced the cancellation of a number of key events in the Manchester calendar, with Bonfire Night, the annual Christmas light switch-on and the New Year’s Eve fireworks display now cancelled as a result of Coronavirus.
Announcing the news in a statement today, the Council confirmed that they have been working closely with event organisers to either postpone, cancel or move events online – as cases in the region continue to grow as we enter the colder months.
And while three of the key Manchester events will not be taking place this year, the jury is still out on whether the famous Christmas Markets will get the go-ahead – with councillors still discussing whether the event could adhere to the current COVID-19 regulations.
Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “Christmas in Manchester is an incredibly important time for the city’s economy. The city attracts millions of visitors each year, which local businesses rely on – and it’s important to the city’s recovery that we can bring people back into the city safely. COVID means that Christmas will be different this year, but we are working hard towards celebrating the festive season as safely as possible. So watch this space.”
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: “We understand that cancelling annual events will come as a blow to many people. We do not take these decisions lightly and we have been working with events organisers throughout the year to either postpone or take online where possible. Public safety must be at the front and centre of everything we do – and where events can go ahead, they will do so inline with covid guidelines designed to keep visitors as safe.”