Hartlepool Waterfront festival and Armed Forces Day events among latest to be cancelled

A previous Waterfront Festival at Hartlepool.

Hartlepool Borough Council chiefs previously said all council events would be cancelled until the end of June, which covers occasions such as the planned VE Day 75th anniversary celebrations in May.

However they have now extended this and said all council events will not be going ahead, until further notice.

They said this will include the Hartlepool Waterfront Festival, which was due to take place on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, Hartlepool Live and Armed Forces Day celebrations.

Councillor Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said it comes as the council has had to make tough decisions following the coronavirus outbreak.

He said: “Local authorities are at the front line in the fight against coronavirus and we’ve had to make some important changes to ensure our most vulnerable residents continue to be protected.

“We’ve had to make some really tough decisions – very swiftly – to prevent the transmission of the virus and to ensure we can maintain our critical services.”

Last year the Hartlepool Waterfront Festival attracted over 20,000 people and 4,000 children were engaged in events and activities over the course of the weekend.

It was capped off by a performance from Michael Rice, and the theme of the event was “Harbour of Refuge”, historically the name given to a safe haven for ships seeking free shelter from stormy seas on the Headland.

Events will also not be going ahead for Armed Forces Day, scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 27, this year.

Last year Hartlepool Borough Council marked the occasion with a packed programme including a military parade and display stands, a street party and more, attended by thousands of residents.

Hartlepool Live has also been cancelled, which first took place last year and was labelled the town’s newest multi-venue music festival.

It featured numerous acts on stages across five venues in the town, and was headlined by Maximo Park frontman Paul Smith.

The event was scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 13, this year.

A weekend of commemorations had also previously been set out by council chiefs to the Regeneration Service Committee to mark the 75th anniversary of VE day in Hartlepool, which will no longer be going ahead.

This included a civic toast on Friday, May 8, followed by a street party in Church Square on the Saturday and an evening function at the Town Hall Theatre.

Sunday, May 10, was set to feature a further street party in conjunction with the Heugh Battery Museum, and a gun run along the Headland.

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