CHRISTMAS is on the brain for a group of Wokingham residents, as plans for the 2021 Winter Carnival are put in motion.
After cancelling last year’s event due to coronavirus concerns, organisers are hoping this year’s festivities will go ahead — but with a covid-friendly twist.
Dennis Carver, one of the organisers of Wokingham Winter Carnival, is busy making arrangements to hold the celebration on Sunday, November 28.
“We’ve already done our usual mail-out to store holders and the response so far has been pretty good,” he said.
“People are very pleased that [the Carnival] is coming back again.”
But this year’s event will be slightly different to previous Carnivals. To promote social distancing, there will be no procession, no Berkshire Maestros, and the fairground may be smaller than in previous years.
“The biggest difference is that we won’t be having a parade,” Mr Carver explained.
“It’s like parting the Red Sea. The procession is always tight so we’re going to avoid that.
“It might not be the same as normal because we don’t know what will happen [with covid] yet, but we’ll try and make it as normal as possible.”
He said the stalls will also be more spaced out to stop Carnival-goers getting too crowded, but is keeping his fingers crossed that live entertainment can be arranged.
“We need to spread everything out,” he added.
Last year, organisers had to cancel the Wokingham Winter Carnival due to the coronavirus pandemic, which Mr Carver said spelled “disaster” for charities and businesses.
Every year, the event raises funds for a host of Wokingham organisations.
“We couldn’t give away the amount we normally give to charities,” he explained. “We did run a Christmas Market, which was very successful and gave some chance of raising funds.
“I’m very hopeful the country will be in a much better position by November than we were last year, and where we are now. This is one of the main fundraising events for Wokingham.”
READ MORE: Charities come together for Winter carnival market
The committee is currently planning to hold the Carnival across Market Place, Peach Place, Peach Street, Denmark Street and Broad Street.
It will make a decision on whether the event will definitely go ahead by the end of next month.
“We will be guided by Government regulations at the time,” Mr Carver added. “We have no choice.”
Organisers are currently accepting pitch bookings, and residents can stay up to date on how plans for the carnival progress online.
For more information, visit: www.wintercarnival.org.uk
