Scarborough's annual William Street Fair scrapped over fears of Covid-19 spreading

Shaw’s and International Funfairs, the organisers of Scarborough’s annual William Street Fair, and Scarborough Borough Council have today said they have jointly decided to cancel this year’s event, which was due to take place between September 30 and October 3.

Since last week, a number of concerns had been raised online by members of the public over how social distancing would be maintained at a time when the number of coronavirus cases in the borough is spiking.

Over the weekend, borough councillor Bill Chatt also raised his fears with the authority, which owns the car park where the fair would have been held, saying it was “strange” it was being allowed to continue.

The concerns began as adverts for the fair began appearing online.

Today, in a joint statement, the organisers and the council said that it now not be going ahead.

They said: “The fair has a good reputation with local residents and those that come back to enjoy it year after year for being safe and well managed.

“Therefore in light of the ever-changing situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular the implications of the new ‘rule of six’ and the rising infection rate among young people, for whom the fair is a popular evening out, the event will not take place this year.

“We know loyal fans of the fair will be disappointed, but we have to put their safety and that of the local community and fairground staff first.

“We hope the situation will allow the fair to make a welcome return to Scarborough in September 2021.”

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