Watford Town Centre BID, organisers of Watford Town Centre Winterfest, have today made the extremely difficult decision to cancel the upcoming event due to unsafe forecasted weather conditions.
Watford Town Centre Winterfest, initially scheduled on Saturday 23 November from 2–6pm, will no longer go ahead because the safety of town users, staff and attendees must be prioritised. The cancellation also means the traditional parade from outside of McDonald’s to the event space on The Parade and the Christmas lights switch-on countdown on the stage will not take place this year.
The Met Office weather forecast shows high gale force winds of over 40mph and heavy rain, meaning it will be unsafe for most of the funfair rides to open and for the event stage to be installed, particularly with young children involved. Several other towns locally and across the UK have also had to make this unfortunate judgement ahead of the weekend due to the unsafe forecasted weather conditions.
Kara Mesiano, manager of Watford Town Centre BID, said: “It is with severe regret that we have made the unwelcome decision to cancel the planned Watford Town Centre Winterfest on Saturday 23 November 2024. The safety of all involved is paramount and a lot of time, thought and discussion has been put in before reaching this difficult decision.
We’ve waited to review the weather forecast and given the event every possibility of going ahead, but with just over 24 hours until the event and no improvement in the forecast, we have reached a cut-off point whereby all involved needed a final decision. We know that weather forecasts can be unreliable, but we have to make informed choices based on the current information available, with safety at the forefront.
With no funfair rides and no event stage, we unfortunately do not have the elements we need for Winterfest. We apologise to everyone that had planned to come out and enjoy the free entertainment this Saturday and we understand any disappointment, but we hope that you understand why this decision had to be made. We still encourage locals to get in the festive spirit by visiting Watford Town Centre and enjoying a day with friends and family at our fantastic eateries and leisure venues.
Thank you, as ever, to locals and Watford Town Centre businesses for showing incredible support for this year’s event. Our team feel devastated having put so many hours of planning into the event, but we hope to bring far more positive news soon of other activities and events planned in our wonderful town.”
The festive installations, tree lights and lamppost decorations remain programmed to turn on late afternoon on Saturday 23 November 2024 so that Watford high street and The Parade can benefit from the Christmas feel that has recently adorned many towns, cities and shopping districts across the UK.
Watford Town Centre BID’s website (www.watfordtowncentre.com) and social media accounts (@WatfordTownCentre) will update accordingly with announcements of any activities and events taking place for locals to enjoy. For enquiries, please use the ‘Contact us’ page on the website or email enquiries@watfordtowncentre.com.