Bonfire Night at the Forest Rec Cancelled

This announcement, which was expected by many in the current climate, follows previous Covid-related event cancellations of Splendour, the Nottingham Beach, Riverside Festival, numerous community events and Goose Fair. Many other Bonfire Night plans elsewhere across the country have already been shelved.

As with other cancelled events, the council’s events team considered possible options that would have allowed the event to proceed, but with social distancing and other Covid-safe measures in place. The event normally attracts around 40,000 people over a five-hour period, so in the end this proved impossible. As with Goose Fair, there were further potential implications for visitors to safely travel to and from the event, with large numbers normally making use of public transport.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, said: “Bonfire Night is one of our most popular free events, which is valued by many Nottingham residents. I’m therefore really disappointed to have an announce its cancellation, especially following on from other much-loved major events over the past few months.

“Our Events team have again considered a variety of approaches to try to find a way of hosting Bonfire Night and the accompanying two firework displays, but in light of the latest Government rules on large scale public gatherings there was just no way we could do that safely.

“We have to be mindful not only of people’s safety at the event, but also the wider considerations of how they would get there. Traditionally, given its location, many visitors obviously choose to arrive by tram or the numerous bus routes that serve Mansfield Road and there would have been an enormous strain on the network to transport those passengers safely. 

“I hope very much that the event will return with a bang in 2021.”