Christmas festival to take place in APRIL after event 'rescheduled'
WATCH: Local residents discuss a change in tradition to Christmas decorations
GB NEWS
A Christmas festival in Essex has been rescheduled to take place next April after Storm Darragh blasted Britain with adverse weather conditions.
Due to its unseasonal nature, the event has been reimagined as a unique paschal celebration, combining both festive and Easter traditions.
Organisers agreed to the solution came after postponing Saturday's Christmas festival when severe wind and rain hit Essex.
Rather than abandon their plans entirely, the Frinton Chamber of Commerce has announced a unique fusion event that will see Father Christmas share the spotlight with the Easter Bunny when the festival returns in spring.
The creative solution came after organisers were forced to postpone Saturday's Christmas festival when severe wind and rain hit Essex (Stock)
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Organisers said that it was "heartbreaking" to see the event cancelled after months dedicated to planning.
The event was called off on Friday with organisers shedding "a few tears" due to public safety concerns over the severe weather conditions.
"Very reluctantly we had to postpone it, we don't use the word cancel," chairwoman of Frinton Chamber of Commerce Wendy Ann Simon explained.
"We'd spent months and months to plan this and it was going to be the biggest one," she added.
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The organisers found a silver lining by deciding to wait for better weather, with a committee member first proposing the novel concept of a Christmas-Easter crossover event.
"We thought we'd wait until the better weather and someone on the committee had a brilliant idea of Father Christmas meets the Easter Bunny," Simon said.
"We'll have all the Christmas lights back up. Our grotto will be there, Christmas trees, lots of lights and lots of Easter eggs," she added.
The event will maintain its Christmas atmosphere while incorporating seasonal spring elements, with organisers suggesting attendees might wear Easter bonnets.
Storm Darragh wrecked havoc across England and Wales
GB NEWSStorm Darragh caused complete chaos over the weekend, as business secretary Jonathan Reynolds urged everyone to "stay inside and not put themselves at risk".
The devastating conditions meant that several Christmas markets - much like the one in Essex - were cancelled over flood, wind and rain warnings covering swathes of the UK.
Two people died from fallen trees wrecking their vehicles during the weekend in two isolated incidents due to the storm, which also plunged thousands of homes into darkness and disrupted countless journeys.
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