Belfast’s 2020 Christmas Market has been cancelled
The market has been running since 2004
It has been announced that Belfast’s Christmas Market will not go ahead this year due to public health and safety concerns surrounding the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The market has been an iconic part of the city’s festive celebrations for the past fifteen years, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. Located in the grounds of Belfast City Hall, the market usually runs from late November until near Christmas Day and is hugely popular with shoppers.
A statement was released today by Market Place Europe on Facebook, detailing how the team behind the event are obviously disappointed, “however given the current health crisis we do believe this is the correct decision.”
They also added, “Wishing you all well and thanking you for your continued support. We hope you have an amazing Christmas and hopefully we will see you next year.”
The post received an influx of responses from the public, with many users sharing their disappointment about the decision.
The market is a popular attraction each year, from the Lavery’s tent through to the infamous Churros.
The move is another blow to the Belfast City Centre economy, which is now very difficult to imagine this Christmas without the markets lighting up the lawns of Belfast City Hall.
Whilst this is not the first event which has been postponed this year as Northern Ireland continues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, it will undoubtedly impact the Belfast high street, which is still recovering from the blaze at Bank Buildings Primark store.