Call made to cancel community events

Christchurch City Council is cancelling its planned events in the remainder of February and March because it is unable to proceed with large events under the Red setting on the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

“We were planning to hold a Summer Nights concert at dusk on Saturday 12 March and a Family Festival in Victoria Square on Sunday 13 March to bring families and young people together,’’ says Council Events & Arts Manager Lucy Blackmore.

“Unfortunately due to the public health measures that are in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are unable to deliver these events as planned.’’

The Council are working to adapt some aspects of Summer Nights and the Family Festival.

“We are hopeful that we can offer a version of the Family Festival later in the year, around spring. We’re also planning to shift some parts of the Summer Nights concert into the upcoming Go Live Festival, which will take place as part of an extended winter events programme,” Ms Blackmore says.

The Council’s Summer Sundays concert series has also been cancelled.

“We have also made the tough decision to cancel the entire Summer Sundays concert series that was scheduled to be held over six consecutive Sundays in the Botanic Gardens,’’ Says Ms Blackmore.

The Council made the call last month to cancel the first four concerts but it left the door open for the final two concerts, scheduled for 27 February and 6 March, to go ahead.

“It is now clear that we will still be in the Red setting at the end at the end of this month so we unfortunately have had to cancel the final two concerts as well,’’ Ms Blackmore says.

The Smart Christchurch Innovation Expo was previously set for 20-21 February, after being postponed last year due to the COVID-19 lockdown in August. The Council is exploring options for postponing the event until either the second half of 2022 or sometime during 2023.

Culture Galore, an outdoor multicultural festival, has also been cancelled. The event was scheduled to take place on 19 February and was funded by Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board and Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board.

“I know the cancellation of so many events is disappointing for people but our number one priority is the health and safety of our community. Cancelling or postponing these events is the best approach to achieve this,’’ says Ms Blackmore.