Bonfire night firework displays cancelled after councils blame high rates of Covid
By Jacob Phillips, local democracy reporter
Some of London’s best loved firework displays will not go ahead this Bonfire night.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has cancelled firework displays in Ravenscourt Park and Bishops Park due to continuing high rates of Covid.
The council is not the only one to have cancelled their firework display this year, Croydon has also announced cancellations.
Every year Bishops Park hosts a child-friendly firework display over the River Thames with rockets exploding in the sky above Fulham’s football ground, Craven Cottage.
The event, complete with fun-fairs and food stalls, was also cancelled in 2019 due to building works at Fulham’s stadium.
Ravenscourt Park also normally hosts a major fireworks display with a colourful display appearing above Hammersmith to choreographed music and the two events usually attract crowds of 20,000 people.
In a statement released last month, Hammersmith and Fulham Council explained staging the outdoor event would only be possible with reduced numbers.
In a statement they said: “In common with other London boroughs, Hammersmith & Fulham Council will not hold a fireworks display in Ravenscourt Park or Bishops Park this year due to the continuing high rates of Covid.
“Staging the outdoor event safely and protecting the health of visitors would mean that only a reduced number of tickets could be sold.
“However, this would make the event much more expensive at a time when we continue to focus our resources on recovering from the impact of Covid and delivering essential services to our residents.
“This is not fair on local taxpayers and it goes against our aim of being ruthlessly financially efficient.
“If you do plan to celebrate with fireworks this Bonfire Night, please do so safely and courteously to your neighbours.”
There were 540 people who tested positive for Covid in Hammersmith and Fulham last week and 121,105 people had been doubled vaccinated in the borough on October 30, according to government data.
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