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29
Oct
Major Harrogate fireworks show cancelled
A major Harrogate fireworks display has been cancelled after it only sold seven per cent of the total number of tickets.
Autumn Lights planned to stage its first event in Harrogate on Monday (November 3).
The company, which is also advertising fireworks displays in Sheffield, Lincoln and Norfolk, planned to put on one of the biggest fireworks displays in the district at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
The night would have included live entertainment, including music, a funfair and street food before culminating in fireworks. Adult tickets cost £18.
But the event has now been cancelled due to “rising costs and lower-than-expected ticket sales”.
The Stray Ferret today (Oct 29) spoke with John Lowery, director of Autumn Lights, who told us why the decision had been made:
We were expecting to have sold 2,500 tickets by now, and around 7,000 by the time of the event on Monday. We’ve sold just over 500. We were about 2,000 tickets down in York recently and made a big loss in Cheshire.
The economy’s struggling. I think the general public is struggling too, and people are trying to save their money wherever they can.
Mr Lowery said the cost of staging the event was approximately £120,000.
He said there could be several reasons for poor ticket sales:
Maybe because it’s new and it’s on a Monday. Halloween is becoming a bigger thing in the UK now, too; pumpkin farms have become very popular. I do think firework displays are still popular, though.
Autumn Lights’ events in Lincoln, Norfolk and Sheffield are going ahead as planned.
Mr Lowery said they are expecting around 15,000 people at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield.
Anyone who bought a ticket to Harrogate Autumn Lights will be offered a full refund within 14 days.
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