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21
Aug 2020
Harrogate Christmas Market set to be called off
Harrogate Christmas Market is set to be called off this year, the Stray Ferret can reveal.
The four-day event, which has been running annually since 2012, is set to be cancelled for the first time in its history next week because of continuing covid restrictions.
Public health officials for North Yorkshire are expected to meet on Monday to discuss restrictions which would need to be in place for outdoor events to go ahead. However, with crowds of up to 60,000 coming from across the country - including coaches filled with day-trippers - it is expected that Harrogate Christmas Market will not be able to meet the requirements.
The news comes as a further blow to local businesses, including retailers, restaurants and bars, which have reported increased footfall during the market in previous years. Organisers say the event is designed to bring visitors into the town centre at a vital time for the local economy - and this year could have been more important than ever.
Harrogate BID acting chair Sara Ferguson said:
With events at Harrogate Convention Centre not possible because of its continued use as a Nightingale hospital, it is the latest in a string of major events in the Harrogate calendar to be forced to cancel.
Read more:
- Harrogate Nightingale contract extended until March 2021
- Yorkshire Showground cancelled events worth over £70 million
- Harrogate district event venues light up in 'red alert'
Andrew Armstrong, who runs Harrogate Lifestyle Apartments on Kings Road, told the Stray Ferret he would have liked the opportunity for local businesses to come together and see what could be done to save the event. He said it could have been moved into the town centre and set up in smaller clusters, with masks mandatory, in order to limit crowds.
Mr Armstrong said he has had one booking for this year's dates called off already, with the visitor asking to move to next year's provisional dates. However, he said putting bookings back by a year would be no help to those hospitality businesses struggling to make ends meet in the coming weeks and months.
Unlike others around the country, Harrogate's Christmas market focuses on Yorkshire products. As well as individual stalls around the aisles, it features a craft and gifts marquee and a food and drink marquee - though the latter was not expected to feature in this year's event because of covid restrictions.
In July, organisers confirmed they were awaiting a licence being awarded by Harrogate Borough Council for this year's event, which takes place on Stray land, for which the council has responsibility.
Guidance on the government website says:
However, the guidance also states that events can be called off by authorities if there is a rise in cases in the locality. This happened last week in Leeds, when a funfair was banned less than 24 hours before it was due to open because of a cluster of new cases in the surrounding area.
The Stray Ferret understands organisers are keen for Harrogate Christmas Market to return as usual next year.
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