ORGANISERS of the Worcester Festival have revealed the traditional fireworks finale to bring the curtain down on the summer celebrations will be scrapped in favour of more investment in community events.
The city’s skies will be silent on August Bank Holiday Monday for the first time in 16 years after festival chiefs decided to ditch the fireworks, which cost organisers thousands of pounds, in favour of a whole host of new events which will take place throughout the duration of the festival.
Festival chiefs said the saved cash would enable them to stage more free street theatre, more free workshops and more free events all round with the possibility of some free concerts this year.
Director Chris Jaeger said: “We always want to put on lots of great things for children, for families and for everyone, and the money freed up will enable us to offer more free community events than ever before.
The respected arts chief said organisers had weighed up whether the amount of money spent on the display could be justified.
“This has been a big decision for us, and one we have not taken lightly, but we believe this is the right time for a change and this decision will allow us to move the Festival forward in a really positive way,” he said.
“We have been listening to the local community, and taking on board their concerns regarding the environmental impact of the fireworks.
“We also understand for many pet owners and farmers the fireworks can be an unwelcome source of distress. Many people have also expressed the view twelve minutes is not long enough to justify such a lot of money simply ‘going up in smoke’. And we have come to agree with them,” Mr Jaeger added.
The Worcester Festival will return for its 17th year this summer, kicking off on Saturday, August 10 and running through to August 26, with events and activities happening all over the city each day.
Visit www.worcesterfestival.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01905 611427 for more.
