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Nottingham’s Christmas Market will not reopen after hundreds of people crowded Old Market Square on Saturday (December 5).
Hundreds of people were photographed in Old Market Square and Long Row, with a lack of social distancing, despite being under Level 3 restrictions on the first day of the market.
The Christmas market in the Old Market Square opened for the first time on Saturday, with a large Ferris wheel, food and gift stalls and other attractions.
But Mellors Group, which organizes the event in association with Nottingham City Council, decided to close the market just one day after it opened.
In a joint statement issued Sunday evening, Nottingham City Council and Mellors Group said: “The Christmas Market was closed on Sunday December 6 as we assess the first day of opening in phases on Saturday.
“After ongoing meetings, including observing a strong step in the city center again, we have made the joint decision not to reopen Nottingham Christmas Market this year.
(Image: Nottingham Post / Ben Reid)
“A wide range of measures had been put in place to ensure that the market followed Tier 3 guidance in relation to outdoor markets and fairgrounds. Access control plans were in place to help manage the number of people entering to the site at any time and monitor this continuously throughout Saturday, however the numbers were too large to implement effectively.
“Like the rest of the country, the city center experienced a significant footfall and was noticeably more crowded than anticipated. This began to have a domino effect mainly in the areas surrounding the Old Market Square, but also included the Christmas market later that day.
“An increase in the number of people around the Old Market Square after 6 pm led to the decision to close the market early on Saturday.
“Now that we have seen how busy the city center was in general yesterday, we have made the decision not to reopen the market this year.
“We know this will be very disappointing for many locals who were eager to visit and for traders, many of them local, for whom this was a vital opportunity to trade in what has been an incredibly difficult year.
“We wanted the market to help support the local economy and bring a little holiday cheer by getting people downtown in a safe and managed way as part of the reopening of non-essential retail stores after the national closure.
“Public safety and merchant safety has always been first and foremost in all the decisions we have made.
“The opinions expressed both in favor and against are very important to us and we have listened to them carefully. The decision to go ahead with the market was not made lightly and the decision to close.
“We’re sorry it didn’t work.”
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