North Yorkshire Council has announced Harrogate Christmas Fayre will return this year.

A short decision notice published on the local authority’s website said it will allocate £100,000 of its tourism budget to ‘continue to support the delivery the Harrogate Christmas Fayre and associated activities and events’.

No further details about how the funding will be allocated, or what activities will take place, were included in the notice.

But it added the budget is ‘consistent with the approach taken for Christmas 2021, 2022 and 2023’ and the alternative option would be not to have a Christmas fayre in Harrogate this year.

The fayre succeeded Harrogate Christmas Market, which was held annually on Montpellier Hill on the Stray until 2021.

Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished last year, refused to grant a licence to the local Christmas market organisers and instead created the fayre in conjunction with Tameside events company Market Place and other partners.

The new venture was extended from 10 days to 18 days last year but was marred by wet weather, which led to the closure of the ice rink in Crescent Gardens on several days.

John Lowery, chief operating officer at Events by Cynosure, the York firm that operated the rink, said at the time the company had “no plans to return for 2024 due to the losses sustained this year from the weather and lack of footfall in the area”.

The fayre has previously included a big wheel, fairground rides, an open-top bus and a land train as well as market stalls.