To think Hyde Park winter wonderland should not be cancelled?

[JKRowlingIsMyQueen]

It has just been announced it's cancelled due to corona. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-hyde-park-winter-wonderland-22616729

At a time where deaths, hospital admissions and positive tests are really low, should we not trying to go move life forward instead of cancelling events?

I know what people are gonna say, "you can't social distance at winter wonderland", but pubs are open and how many people are social distancing there?

This is insane!

Winter Wonderland remains one of the most hideous experiences of my parenting life. Cancel forever!!!!!!!! Lol

I agree, when deaths per week are down to single digits, what are we waiting for? For the virus to miraculously disappear?! I’m fed up with policy makers acting like it’s the plague/Ebola when frankly the death rate is tiny and there’s no guarantee that it will ever disappear or a vaccine will be found.

I'm definitely should be cancelled - not because of Covid but because it's utterly shite!

I suspect a large part of the reason the inability to plan in a constantly changing situation. Things like this cost a fortune to put on, better to cut their losses now and cancel than to keep going and spending more money and then having to cancel at short notice if cases rise and restrictions get tighter. I expect now is the time they would be recruiting staff to work the season there, so better to not hire them at all than hire and then have to let everyone go again.

I enjoyed it! We went to an ice show and had a bratwurst.
But i wouldnt bother to put it on if i was an organisor and risk it being cancelled by ever changing guidance

Organisers and producers of events cannot get insurance that covers any form of loss/cancellation caused by Covid! They can’t take the risk financially never mind from a public health perspective

This. Small businesses are suffering enough without wanting to take this kind of risk.

It’s draws in people from all over, so more potential to spread virus than most pubs that tend to serve more of the same geographically located people over and over.

I don’t think we should have pubs open, I find it hard to believe they aren’t big spreaders. But since we do, that means we have less leeway to open other things. The need to keep Ro down can be achieved in a number of ways and it’s about making choices about which of the many different things we allow, we allow winter wonderland And their ilk then we have to shut something else with equivalent spread power.

Winter Wonderland is horrendously overpriced anyway. Would prefer to see more reasonably priced things allowed.

Its absolutely crammed every year absolutely no chance of social distancing.

It is absolutely not the same as going to the pub.

I think cancelling it is the right decision. Also, its in winter when flu season is at its worst.

I went once and it was shite. Overcrowded. Hideously expensive and just shite. No way should somewhere that crowded be allowed to go ahead.

when deaths per week are down to single digits, what are we waiting for? For the virus to miraculously disappear?! I’m fed up with policy makers acting like it’s the plague/Ebola when frankly the death rate is tiny

I don't think so! Cases are up all over Europe, including the UK. Wait until we all huddle together inside. Things will get worse before they get better. No-one with a brain will want to take a major financial risk this winter.

Well, if there is one thing that dies a slow death because of COVID, I definitely wouldn't be sad if it was Winter Wonderland.

On the fence here. I think people should be given the choice whether to go or not but people never want that, they just say "it's not safe" and want everything cancelled. If it doesn't affect you, why do you care?

I've never been to it, although I've run a 5k in the park when it's been on. It is an outside thing, but of course gets crowded so is likely to be fairly risky - and by late November who knows what the infection rate will be like. There, I can feel the splinters, ouch!

Just waiting for all the moaning when parkrun restarts (or if it restarts).

Don’t forget that the staff and stands are trotting across Europe - great way to superspread.

I think it's sensible tbh. A few local seasonal events have been cancelled here. I expect it costs a bit to organise them before they even happen, so it seems cavalier to spend public money on an event that has quite a strong chance of not being able to go ahead.

That place is always heaving which is precisely why I wont go. Plus people wont be wearing masks (eating & drinking too). I heard it was fun & quite wanted to go at night - but only to the alternative imaginary one with no screamimg children, about a third of the people there & where you can actually get a seat/drink, plus walk around calmly etc. The real one is every kind of hell.

Central London is still very quiet even at the weekend
I imagine the fear is that they will put it on and loose millions

You are misunderstanding how virus control works.

The greater the number of contacts, the greater the number of opportunities for virus spread.

BECAUSE pubs are open, other restrictions are tighter.

Also the number of people who will visit Winter Wonderland in a day is far greater than the number of people who will visit any one pub, so tracing visitors would be a much bigger job, and they are likely to come from a far wider area.

I suspect a large part of the reason the inability to plan in a constantly changing situation. Things like this cost a fortune to put on, better to cut their losses now and cancel than to keep going and spending more money and then having to cancel at short notice if cases rise and restrictions get tighter.

Agree.

It's likely to have been cancelled for business/insurance reasons, rather than concern for public health.

I still haven't recovered from when I first took the GC some years back - the cash machines charging £3.50!

The crowding and prices were dreadful but it's very popular particularly in the evening. I was working in Park Lane over the winter and used to walk through Hyde Park on the way home - the queues to enter were enormous, including families with young children. I think the darkness with the flashy lights, ice rinks, huge rides soaring upwards, was a big attraction as it does look quite spectacular, rather than going during the day when it's dismal!

It's atrociously expensive when we're all packed in. The price point would have had to rise massively if numbers dropped.

and positive tests are really low is that sarcasm or do you not pay any attention to the news?

@cologne4711 If it doesn't affect you, why do you care? of course it affects others , you are not moving into winter wonderland and never leaving until the pandemic is over!

It’s one of the most crowded unsafe environments I’ve ever been in. I was honestly worried about getting crushed at one point. We left as soon as we could escape from the crowd.

So....yes, I agree it should be cancelled!

It's always packed. And it will be packed because everyone will think "Oh we'll go this year, it should be quiet" just like the sheep on the packed beaches this summer.