Rose festival joins Covid casualty list
The annual Timaru Festival of Roses has been cancelled for the first time in its 20-year history because of the uncertainty of Covid-19 alert levels.
Festival chairwoman Jan Chambers said that under alert level 2 the festival could not go ahead as only 100 people could attend the market day and other activities. Last year about 5000 people attended the event’s market day at Caroline Bay.
The annual festival celebrates the arrival of summer in the first weekend of
Festival chairwoman
December attending.
It comprises three days of activities, walks, talks, displays, garden tours, entertainment, with about 3000 visitors food and dedicated to roses.
Chambers said the organising committee had run out of time to put plans in place to hold the festival safely under the level restrictions.
The festival also features the awardwinning Trevor Griffiths Rose Gardens, on Caroline Bay, which has more than 1000 heritage and modern roses.
‘‘We are very disappointed that we have had to do this, as the festival is such an important event on the Timaru calendar,’’ Chambers said. the market day
Festival event manager Chris Thomas said the decision to cancel was made on Monday night as it was a case of spending money and not recovering it, or cancelling and saving the funds for next year’s event.
He told The Timaru Herald in September the event would not go ahead in level 2.
Thomas said about 80 stalls had been booked for the market day. All vendors and stallholders will be offered a full refund or can transfer their booking to the 2022 festival.
As for other major events, Geraldine Summer Fete organisers will make a final decision on whether to cancel or not on October 25.
Strawberry Fare committee chairwoman Joy McIvor said a decision would be made next week on the December event, while the new organisers of Christmas on the Bay, Presbyterian Support South Canterbury, will make an announcement on November 5.
‘‘We are very disappointed that we have had to do this . . .’’
Jan Chambers