Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club issues statement after Christmas Spectacular, held on its land, was deemed a flop - and cancelled
The ‘disappointed’ chairman of a rugby club has spoken out after a much-awaited Christmas Spectacular was deemed a flop.
The new festive event, in Bury St Edmunds, promised to transform part of the town into a ‘winter wonderland’ at the back of the town’s rugby club on Friday - and was described by organisers as ‘Suffolk’s most exciting outdoor Christmas event’.
The rugby club had rented out land to the organisers, who they say they have worked with before.
It was set to run for three weekends and promised an enchanting ice skating rink, thrilling fairground rides, an aprés ski big top, a magical Santa’s grotto, a kids’ Christmas cinema, live shows, bands, DJs, and captivating performers.
However, yesterday the organisers announced that all future dates were cancelled due to the ‘weather conditions and the forecast for the following weekends’.
The Friday event, however, also took a slating on social media with attendees comparing it with the disastrous Willy's Chocolate Experience that took place in Glasgow earlier this year, and went viral.
The Rugby Club said on its website today: “We understand that the Christmas Spectacular event has been cancelled.
“This is not a Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club event and therefore, we would ask that all communications should be with the event organisers directly.”
Chairman Craig Germeney, added: “My inbox has been inundated with messages. We were purely renting the land to the organisers and have asked people to contact them directly.
“The club has to be diverse in what we do to survive, and this was a much needed income stream, which in all likelihood, is now not going to happen.
“We have held events with the organisers previously which have been very successful. So I think there has been a set of circumstances which hasn’t quite worked for them.
“We are as disappointed as everyone, as we wanted it to be a success.”
The organisers have said all ticket holders will be contacted directly following the cancellation.
They said: “We sincerely apologise for any disappointment this has caused.”
Families complained on social media of poor organisation, with just one fairground ride and ‘lack of festive atmosphere’.
Lisa Fisher, of Bury, who visited with her family said: “Sadly it was nothing like what was advertised.
“We were there no longer than five minutes. It was lacking in the community spirit – there was 10, maybe 15 people there when we went.”
Tickets for the event had cost up to £6 per person.
Katrina O’Keeffe, who paid £16 to visit with her grandchildren, described the event as ‘dreadful’.
She said: “We got there to rusty dirty old ice skates and an awful rink, a ferris wheel I wouldn’t put my dog in, no characters, no other rides, a few food carts charging the earth, one woman face painting for more than 40 children, at a cost, and waiting.”
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