Cancelled St Annes kite festival could be put back til September

The St Annes Kite Festival, which was due to take place today, Saturday and Sunday, was cancelled following yellow weather warnings issued by the MET office.

Thunderstorms are predicted to hit the Fylde coast tomorrow.

But councillor Cheryl Little, chairman of the tourism and leisure committee at Fylde Council, said that it is hoped the festival will be rescheduled for a date next month.

She said: “The kites are hugem and we just can’t afford a tragedy. We have taken the very difficult decision to cancel it - though I would like to say postpone it, because we’re looking at having it in September.

“Because we made the decision late on Wednesday, we have now got to get together and look at how we can do it on such a short time.

“We have got things to put in place like security and road closures.

“Because it’s an international festival, people have come from Dubai, Singapore and Kuwait, and it’s a big commitment for them to come over.

“It’s all up in the air at the moment because we have been thrown a curveball. It’s very, very discouraging, but safety needs to be paramount.

“The only thing we can’t book is the weather.”

A Fylde Council spokesman said: “This decision has not been made lightly, and following discussions with the organisers and kite fliers, the health and safety risk is simply too great to go ahead.

“We sincerely apologise and hope that you will join us for future kite festivals.”