A SUMMER food festival will go ahead in Lichfield, council chiefs have confirmed.
The future of the event had been thrown into doubt after Lichfield District Council stopped the previous organiser, Cocker Hoop Creative Limited, from running it this year.
The local authority said it had taken the decision following a review of the decision by the company to cancel a similar event in Yorkshire.
But the council now says it will take on the organisation of the Lichfield Summer Food Festival itself, with the event scheduled to take place from 23rd to 25th August.
Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, said:
“The Lichfield Summer Food Festival is really important to our residents, businesses and visitors. It brings thousands of people into the city and provides an opportunity to showcase Lichfield as a visitor destination, so I’m really pleased that the council is able to step-in to ensure that this year’s event goes ahead.
“We want to do all we can to support those traders who we know have already made significant financial outlays in preparation for the Lichfield Summer Food Festival, so any trader that has booked and paid for a pitch – and can share evidence of doing so – will be offered a free pitch.”
The council said it would also be working with retailers in the city to discuss how they can be part of the festival this year.
But it warned that the event “won’t be exactly the same as previous food festivals” but insisted it was “committed to organising a vibrant and enjoyable event”.
Traders can email events@lichfielddc.gov.uk for more details.
Fair play to the council, stepping in to manage this.
It’s a shame it took LDC so long to look into Cocker Hoop Creative after a string of last-minute event cancellations due to licence issues among other concerns from relevant local authorities in recent years. However I’m glad the event hasn’t been lost and LDC have stepped in to continue the August Bank Holiday weekend tradition that brings lots of visitors to the city.