Christmas events cancelled across South Australia amid coronavirus social gathering concerns
Christmas is still a few months away, but many of our favourite festive celebrations have already been cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Christmas is still a few months away but, with uncertainty over future COVID-19 restrictions, some of those behind the festive fun are making hard decisions to axe their events.
More than 35,000 people flocked to the Adelaide Hills last December for the Hahndorf Christkindlmarkt.
But this year’s three-day market event has been cancelled, with the organisers blaming the “uncertainty surrounding restrictions and managing safety precautions with COVID-19”.
“It has become a huge part of celebrating Christmas with our community and we know it will be sadly missed this year,” a Facebook post read.
The event is based on similar markets originating in Germany.
In Adelaide’s north, the Mawson Lakes Christmas Carols have been cancelled “with much sadness” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salisbury Business Association’s Christmas Parade was also “doubtful”, a Salisbury Council report said.
“Until such time as the federal and state governments further revise current restrictions on public events and mass gatherings, we are unable to proceed with our proposed calendar of events and exhibitions in its current form,” the report read.
In the Barossa Valley, the Kapunda Christmas Street Party will not go ahead in 2020, with organisers saying it would be too hard to run amid potential restrictions on social gatherings.
“As you know, this year has been full of uncertainty and we cannot predict how things will be for the rest of the year,” a Facebook post read.
“We just don’t know that a gathering like this would be allowed and even if it was allowed can easily change at any time.
“But also we have not been able to do any fundraising and we do not want to ask businesses for sponsorships or donations because this has been such a hard year for so many. We just feel it would not be right.”
Back in the city, Walkerville Council has made the “difficult decision” to cancel its annual Christmas Fair.
The organiser of the popular Miniature Christmas Pageant, which has run for nearly 20 years, has also decided not to go ahead with the event this year.
However, a selection of the miniature floats will be on display at the Civic and Community Centre from November 25 until December 23.
Mitcham Council will next month consider the immediate future of its Christmas celebrations, including Carols by the Creek which, last year, was dumped only to be reinstated a week later.
The future of Tea Tree Gully’s Civic Park Carols – which last year was headlined by Guy Sebastian and attracted about 45,000 people – is also uncertain.
“The council is currently assessing the advice and directions from key government agencies and expects to make a decision on whether to proceed with Civic Park Carols in the coming weeks,” a council spokeswoman said.
Holdfast Bay, which traditionally hosts the Glenelg Christmas Pageant, along with other festive events, said it intended to “provide a community Christmas event in 2020”.
“We are still assessing what form this may take in line with COVID restrictions and requirements,” it said in a statement.
The people behind the Mount Barker carols said they were working through options to stage the event: “We’ve still got all of our fingers and toes crossed that Carols in the Park can happen this year.”
The Semaphore Mainstreet Association announced on Thursday it had “sadly” made the decision to cancel this year’s Seaside Carols at Semaphore.
Several other councils were still assessing the futures of their festive season events.
Organisers of the city’s National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant have remained tight-lipped about how they will pull off this year’s event.
But a pageant spokeswoman said they were “committed to welcoming Father Christmas into Adelaide” on November 14.
Organisers are continuing to “plan for potential scenarios” in light of COVID-19, but would not say what those scenarios might be.
