Ipswich summer festivals cancelled over coronavirus

The Ipswich Mela usually takes place in July and celebrates Indian culture - music, dance and food

Some of the big free outdoor summer events and festivals between now and October have been cancelled in Ipswich to comply with social distancing rules.

It means the loss of events such as Ipswich Music Day, Indian Summer Mela and the Maritime Festival.

Ipswich Borough Council said it had taken the "disappointing" decision now as it would be too expensive if it cancelled at short notice later on.

Other events, organised by third parties, are not affected.

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Some 200,000 people attend the dozen or so mostly free events the council puts on each year.

Ipswich Music Day, a free event in Christchurch Park every July, usually attracts tens of thousands of people.

It has been running for 30 years and has seen performances by Ed Sheeran when he was on his way up.

Ipswich band Rosalita performed to a big crowd in 2008

"We must be prudent with our funds and ensure that the health of our residents, visitors to the town, our partners and our staff remains our number one priority at this time," the council statement added.

The spokesman said it had now reached the point where it would need to confirm bookings with suppliers for equipment and infrastructure for the events.

"But without clarity on what the rules may be in terms of social distancing over the summer and autumn, we consider it the right thing to do to cancel them now."

It added this would ensure it did not risk incurring irrecoverable costs in the coming weeks.

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