Harpenden Christmas Carnival, which is known to attract more than 18,000 people, has been cancelled for 2020 due to current government guidelines around coronavirus.
This is one of many events which havw had to be cancelled or postponed in the UK this year.
Harpenden Town Council, which organises and runs the carnival, made the announcement today.
It said that the event, originally scheduled for November 22, “would not be possible under current government guidelines”.
It added: “Taking into consideration the resources, upfront costs, and long lead time required to plan Christmas Carnival, even if guidelines were to change in the months leading up to Christmas Carnival, we would be unable to carefully organise an event of this scale in a short amount of time.”
Town Mayor Cllr Nicola Linacre said: “While we are disappointed we will not be able to bring this community event to life, we must do all we can to ensure the safety of Harpenden’s residents and visitors.
“Despite the cancellation, we will still have our brilliant Christmas lights throughout the town this year and we look forward to bringing Christmas Carnival back to the High Street in 2021.”
While the Carnival and Lights Switch On will not be taking place, the annual Christmas lights will still be on display in Harpenden, and the scheduled Farmers’ Market will go ahead on November 22.
A number of bookable festive workshops are currently being planned by the town council.
More details will be announced in due course on the town council website and social media channels.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here