Organisers of Northwich River Festival, Northwich Rotary Club, have announced that the popular event will not take place in 2021.
Chair of the organising committee, Rotarian John Walton, said: “With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the ability for large groups of people to gather, we have grasped the nettle and decided to give the Festival a rest for a second year.”
He went on to say that the event, which attracts up to 15,000 people, takes a lot of organising and carries a large financial risk. “The last thing we want to do is get everything in place then have to cancel at the last moment – potentially depleting the Club’s existing funds that would otherwise go to local good causes.
“The committee has decided to make the decision early so that suppliers and traders can plan accordingly.”
Of the other events organised by the Club, the Swimathon will now next take place in March 2022, whilst there are no current plans to cancel the Beer, Cider and Drinks Festival in September or the FireFest and Bonfire in November.
Club President, Rotarian Tony Rowe, said: “We are obviously very disappointed to mothball these events again this year. They have become very popular and, more importantly, raise thousands of pounds for local good causes.
“We will continue to investigate alternative ways to raise funds that are COVID-safe. For example, in 2020, Rotary in Northwich helped to bring the Drive-in Cinema to the town in September, as well as organising the Big Rotary New Year’s Raffle and Santa’s visits.”
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