-
AllActivities Age Concern Anytime Fitness Gym Art Beer Of The Week Blog Business Care Care Home Charity Children Christmas Cinema City Status Cliffs Pavilion Cliffs Pavilion Cliffs Pavilion Review Cocktail Recipes College Community Competition Competitions Construction Coronation Coronavirus Covid 19 Dannielle Emery Design Easter Education Emma Smith Employment Environment Events Family Fun Fashion Festival Film Finance Fitness Food Food & Drink Football Fresh Face Pillow Company Gardening Hair & Beauty Halloween Harp Havens Hopsice Havens Hospice Havens Hospice Havens Hospice Press Release Havens Hospices Havens Hospices Havens Hospices News Health & Beauty Health & Fitness Historicaleigh History Holidays Housing Indian Jubilee Karen Harvey Conran Kids Kids Blogs Kids Competitions Kids Reviews Legal Legal Eagle Leigh Art Trail Leigh Folk Festival Leigh On Sea Leigh On Sea Finds Leigh Road Leigh Striders Leigh Town Council Leigh Town Council Press Release Leigh on Sea Leigh on Sea Sounds Leigh on sea Folk Festival Leigh on sea Town Council Leigh on sea news Lifestyle LoS Shop London London Southend Airport Los Shop Marathon Melinda Giles Mortgage Angel blog Mortgages Motherofalloutings Mughal Dynasty Mughal Dynasty blog Music My Mortgage Angel MyLoS News Newsletter Offers Other Outfit Of The Week Palace Theatre Parenting Parking Picture Of The Week Pier Politics Press Release Professional Property Property Of The Week Ray Morgan Re:loved Recipes Recycling Restaurant Restaurant Review Review Roads Royal Hotel Royal Hotel Southend Royal Visit Schools Seafront Shopping Show & Music Reviews Show Review Show Reviews Shows & Music Shows & Music Review Shows & Music Reviews Southend Southend Airport Southend Airport Press Release Southend Borough Council Press Release Southend City Council Southend City Council Blog Southend City Council News Southend City Council Press Southend City Council Press Release Southend City Council Press Release Southend City Council blog Southend In Sight Southend In Sight Press Release Southend on Sea Southend on Sea City Council Press Release Southend on Sea City Council press release Southend on Sea city Council Press Release Southend on sea City Council Press Release Sport The Mortgage Mum Theatre Theatre Blog Theatre Review Theatre Review Theatre Reviews Transport Travel Village Green Volunteer Weddings What's On Whats On blog shopping
Autumn Firework Displays Cancelled for 2020

The series of annual seafront firework displays have been cancelled for 2020 in light of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
The free spectaculars have been running since 1996 with the Southend Business Improvement District (BID), taking over responsibility of organizing the displays from Southend-on-Sea Borough Council in 2013. Each display sees more than 1,700 fireworks fired into the night sky from a barge moored 400 metres from the shore of city beach.
“We are incredibly disappointed that the firework events are unable to take place this year as we know they are a much anticipated event for local residents and visitors, and a massive economical value for our businesses which have already suffered this year.” said Suzanne Gloyne, Southend BID Manager.
“With the Southend seafront displays attracting thousands of people each year we cannot ignore the safety risks it currently presents and public safety has to be the priority. We need to follow the guidelines which have been put in place to prevent a local outbreak that could cause more distress and economic implications. Additionally, events on council land are currently prohibited so we cannot apply for an event license. This decision is in line with the advice we have received from the Southend Safety Advisory Group.”
Cllr Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for business, culture and tourism, says: “Due to the size and popularity of the fireworks and the crowds it attracts, coupled with the inability to manage the site as it is all open to the public it has unfortunately not been possible to find a way for the event to take place safely and responsibly.
“Furthermore, the government announcement on changes to the numbers of people that can legally socialise together from Monday makes the delivery of a safe public event in an open space almost impossible.
“This is not the news any of us wanted to deliver and not the news many wanted to hear, but it is the latest in a difficult year of decisions but one that has to follow the law and public health concerns. We know the economic impact this will have on many of our traders and so we will continue to work with our stakeholders to consider safe and innovative alternatives.”
Krishna Ramkhelawon, director of public health at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, says: “As a country and also locally, we continue to work to control and prevent the spread of coronavirus, and we must continue to do all we can in this regard. Currently the rate of infection is increasing gradually nationally and locally, and we continue to put new measures and controls in place to keep this as low as possible.
“Encouraging crowds to gather intensely and over a short period of time as they do for the fireworks is unfortunately just not something we can do at this time from a public health perspective, given the indication of increasing infection rates. It would be dangerous and irresponsible.”
The displays historically take place on Saturdays from the start of October through to the November Christmas light switch on event each year which was cancelled at an earlier date.
For more information about the Southend BID, visit www.southendbid.com . For the latest news of what’s happening throughout the town centre and seafront click on www.visitsouthend.co.uk , like the Facebook page @VisitSouthendonSea, or follow @VisitSouthend on Twitter.
ADD A COMMENT
Note: If comment section is not showing please log in to Facebook in another browser tab and refresh.