Future of Newbury Racecourse Christmas Carnival questioned
THE future viability of the Great Christmas Carnival at Newbury Racecourse has been called into question.
The event, first held last December, was billed as the biggest Winter Wonderland-style experience outside of London.
The company behind it, Underbelly, claimed it would bring in around £3m in revenue to Newbury in hotel bookings alone.
It was initially proposed to stage it again this year.
But the event left many visitors disappointed, with one punter posting on the event's social media site: "I’ve seen more Christmas spirit in a mortuary.
"Half the place was shut and a mortgage was required for the rest."
Others criticised the entry price, the cost of food stalls and the rides.
One typical comment stated: "Seven pounds per person for a one minute ride; £10 for a couple of churros; the circus was a let down."
Another said: "We spoke with a lady who works there and she said all the stall people packed up and left because they weren't making any money."
Still others said the event would have detracted from, rather than boosted, the town centre economy.
District councillor Phil Barnett (Lib Dem, Newbury Greenham) said: "My initial views are that there were far fewer people attending than the organisers expected.
"It was noticeable that the car parks were never full, some nights things closed down early and the big wheel was regularly not turning."
He added that he had been told by traders there that the pitch hire was so costly that they had to price goods accordingly – with the result that sales were slow.
Mr Barnett asked: "Will it be a financial loss to the racecourse?
"I expect so."
The event had proved controversial from the start, with dozens of local people objecting to the licence grant, citing fears of noise, antisocial behaviour and setting a precedent for regular and bigger Christmas carnivals at the site in future.
Others said online afterwards that they had enjoyed the experience and would go again.
If the disgruntled customers are correct, however, that may not prove to be a concern.
The company behind the event, Underbelly, describes itself as a "world leading, live entertainment company" with bases in London, Edinburgh and Hong Kong.
It boasts 20 years' experience of creating "world leading events".
Newburytoday reached out to Underbelly to ask for a response to the criticisms and to ask whether it still planned to go ahead with a similar event at Newbury Racecourse this December.
The company has not responded.