Coronavirus: Shetland's Up Helly Aa fire festival called off for 2021

A Viking galley is burned as part of the annual event

Coronavirus concerns have forced Shetland's famous Up Helly Aa festival to be called off next year.

The main Lerwick event draws visitors from around the world every January, as Shetland's Viking heritage is celebrated.

Organisers said they had made the "extremely hard" but unanimous decision to postpone the 2021 event until the following year.

The next festival will now take place on Tuesday 25 January 2022.

The various Up Helly Aa festivals remember the Vikings who used to rule the Shetland islands 1,000 years ago.

Squads of warriors parade through the streets by torchlight before the day culminates with the dramatic burning of a replica Viking long ship.

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Organisers said in a statement: "The decision has been an extremely hard one to make but the committee have a responsibility to the community of Shetland to ensure the festival does not contribute to the spread of Covid-19.

"The nature of Up Helly Aa, the numbers involved and the potential of large numbers of visitors to the isles are all risks that were taken into account.

"The festival going ahead in its current format would be difficult with any restrictions in place and with uncertainty surrounding what guidance would be in place in January meant there was no guarantee the festival could happen at all.

"The health and safety of the community, participants and the many volunteers it takes to deliver the festival was the priority of committee members when making the decision."

The festival has rarely been postponed or cancelled in its 140-year history.

The last time was in 1965, when Up Helly Aa was put back a week due to the death of Winston Churchill.