Birmingham's famous Frankfurt Christmas Market is set to go ahead this year despite the ongoing restrictions posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Organisers have announced that the annual event, claimed to be the largest of its kind outside of Birmingham and Austria, will start on November 5 and run until December 23.
Every year, around five million people visit the 80 food, drink and gift stalls in Victoria Square and along New Street, boosting the city's economy to the tune of around £400 million.
But a question mark has hung over the 2020 event ever since the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic emerged back in March.
Birmingham City Council said: "Planning for this year's Frankfurt Christmas Market began in January.
"This is the case every year, given the complex logistics involved.
"We are monitoring the situation and any updates to the Government's advice as part of this process - and therefore details of this year's event will not be announced until later this year."
Birmingham's director of public health Justin Varney has issued a word of caution about this year's event though, saying it was "not a done deal".
Speaking to our sister website BirminghamLive during an online Q&A, he said risk assessments were still being worked on and organisers would have to prove how beer jugs would be disinfected and communal areas where visitors eat and drink be kept clean.
Crowd control and spacing out of stalls were other issues which would need to be addressed, he said.
Mr Varney said: "The Christmas market, like any other major event in the city, has to go through a process with the council where they submit their risk assessment and there are discussions.
"We continue to have discussions. No definitive decision has been made. We have received the latest proposals which take into account all the covid safety approaches.
"All of that is being worked through and it isn't a done deal. This could all change if we have a rapid rise in cases. If we don't keep Birmingham safe, we could end up where Leicester has been."
