Weekend Events Called Off in Sussex Ahead of Storm Darragh’s Arrival

Sussex is preparing for Storm Darragh, the latest winter storm, which has led to the cancellation of several weekend events across the county. A rare red warning has been issued as Storm Darragh is expected to bring gusts of 90mph (144 km/h) or more to the western UK starting early Saturday morning. In the South East, winds are projected to reach up to 50mph (80km/h), with potential gusts of 60mph (96km/h) along the coast. Events scheduled for the upcoming weekend in Brighton and Lewes, located in East Sussex, along with Steyning, Petworth, and Chichester in West Sussex, have been affected. The Brighton Winter Fayre, originally planned for York Place across three weekends in December, will not operate as scheduled but aims to reopen from 12 to 15 and 19 to 22 December. Additionally, farmers markets in Lewes and Steyning have been called off. The Chichester Christmas market, which commenced on Tuesday in the city’s East and North Streets, will close on Saturday and Sunday due to the hazards presented by the storm. Petworth’s Christmas Cracker event, featuring food and drink stalls and live performances on Saturday, has also been cancelled. Brighton’s Santa dash, an event where hundreds of participants in Santa suits run from Hove Lawns to the Peace Statue, has been rescheduled to 14 December.