City Centre Christmas Artisan Fair Canceled Due to Storm Darragh Winds

The Christmas-themed artisan fair scheduled for the city centre has been canceled because of high winds. Yolanda Eldaadaa, based in Peterborough, is the organizer of the event, which is regularly held on the first Saturday of each month in Cathedral Square. Ms. Eldaadaa described this Saturday’s planned fair as “a special one,” featuring a Santa sleigh and various Christmas stalls. Forecasts indicate heavy wind and rain from Thursday through Sunday, attributed to Storm Darragh. Ms. Eldaadaa stated, “Safety has to come first as the weather does not look good and winds look quite strong.” On Thursday, Nene Park was compelled to partially close its ongoing winter festival due to high winds, with organizers deeming the conditions “unsafe” for attendees. Approximately twelve independent businesses from Peterborough were slated to participate in the Saturday event. Ms. Eldaadaa noted that event organization, such as this fair, constitutes her business, and the cancellation would result in financial losses for her. She confirmed, “The businesses have been offered an option to move their stall to another date or take a refund.” Ms. Eldaadaa further explained, “We have businesses who bake and cook for a living taking part. So I had to take an early call on this and inform them in a timely manner.” She added, “It was going to be special with a visiting Santa and Christmas arts and crafts and festive food on offer.” Her intention is to host the market next Saturday instead, and she mentioned that a Christmas choir would be featured. Peterborough City Council, responsible for arranging the visiting Santa and his sleigh for the Saturday event, has been approached for a statement. The winter festival at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough, is scheduled to continue until Christmas Eve; however, it faces potential further disruption if the current weather forecast persists. The Nene Park Trust issued a statement: “Due to the high winds forecast, sadly the enchanted forest full of trees is not the safest place to be, so Thursday’s session has been cancelled. If you have tickets booked for today, you will get a full refund so you can book tickets for another date. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the wind forecast over the weekend and posting any further updates before 12:00 GMT each day.”