Town council steps in to save Wisbech Rose Fair and there will be a parade
People interested in getting involved in a new look Wisbech Rose Fair are being invited to join a public meeting.
Wisbech Town Council’s festival’s committee took the decision at its meeting last night (Monday) that it would take on organising the Rose Fair.
The future of the hugely popular event was hanging in the balance after the organisers of this year’s Rose Fair announced it would not be going ahead with it again next year.
Councillor Sam Hoy requested the town council’s festivals committee discuss what could be done to save the 60-year-old event, which in the past has attracted bus-loads of people from across the country.
In an announcement following last night’s meeting, the town council said the committee had decided to do its best to keep the tradition alive.
The statement pointed out that whilst the Rose Fair has never been the responsibility of the council it had decided to step in and save it before too much time had passed for it to make a real comeback.
It is now four years since the last proper Rose Fair, which was held in 2019 and included both the traditional flower show at St Peter’s Church – which was the cornerstone of the event – and the parade of floats.
Covid put paid to the event in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 there were high hopes of the hugely popular event returning, but a building fire on the Market Place meant organisers were forced to cancel as scaffolding was blocking the parade route.
By this time St Peter’s Parochial Church Council had announced it would no longer be running the flower festival because of a lack of qualified volunteers to create the floral displays.
This year Love Wisbech Partnership set up a committee and organised a watered-down version of the Rose Fair, in what should have been its 60th year.
Instead of the usual day including the parade and flower festival, the group came up with the idea of organisations putting on events over the course of two weeks in July under the Rose Fair umbrella. However, it was that group that decided not to go ahead again next year.
The town council said in its statement: “It is recognised that a lot of work and effort will be required and the town council has said the first event will aim to be a fun day, in order to get the event back on the calendar, and which will hopefully grow year after year.
“The new-look Rose Fair will take place on Saturday, June 29th and the town council feels able to deliver a walking parade with Rose Queen, entertainment, stalls and floral decorations, and hopefully more depending on what other organisations can offer in support.
“There was a recognition that we had to ‘walk before we can run’ and start with a fun event with the potential to grow and thrive in coming years."
Anyone wanting to get involved is asked to either contact the town council on 01945 461333 or attend a public meeting at the Town Hall, North Brink on Wednesday, October 18 at 7pm.
