It's an all too familiar story of events being cancelled due to the rapid spread of a strain of Covid-19.
With the rise in the Omicron variant, some event organisers took the plunge early in December to cancel, or postpone until a later date and now with restrictions coming in from Boxing Day, more and more things are being called off.
This comes after the Welsh Government announced "strengthened measures" to keep Wales safe on Wednesday.
The new rules will be introduced from 6am on Boxing Day and will bring back tighter measures for hospitality businesses, including licensed premises, and in cinemas and theatres when they re-open after the festive period.
Measures in alert level two will include:
- a general requirement of two metres social distancing in all premises open to the public, such as workplaces
- rule of six will apply to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres
- large events will not be allowed indoors or outdoors - with the maximum number of people who can gather at an indoor event will be 30 and 50 outdoors
- there will be an exception for team sports, up to 50 spectators will be able to gather, in addition to those taking part. There is also an exception for events involving children
Read more what's on news here.
Here, we'll keep you up-to-date by adding any further cancelled events in the coming days...
Tenby Boxing Day Swim
Following the Welsh Government’s announcement about sporting activities with effect from December 26, the event organisers have decided to cancel this year’s swim.
On their page, they said: "We’re grateful for all the support from our sponsors, stewards and so many people who in big or small ways contribute to the swim taking place. Thank you!
"We’re also grateful for all the new-style entries to the event; each and everyone will be refunded.
"We hope to see you all the other side of this wretched pandemic."
Luminate Wales
Luminate Wales at Margam County Park and Castle in Port Talbot will finish on December 24. The organisers have revealed that all dates up to and including Christmas Eve will proceed as planned.
All ticket holders will receive an email from Luminate Wales with full details on to how to transfer their tickets. The event organisers ask customers to read their email prior to contacting their customer support team.
Winter Wonderland Cardiff and Waterfront Wonderland Swansea
Winter wonderlands in Cardiff and Swansea are shutting following restrictions announced by the Welsh Government.
The two attractions will be closed from 8pm on December 24. This includes amusements and ice rinks along with the Ice Bar in Cardiff.
Posts were published on both Facebook pages for Winter Wonderland in Cardiff and Waterfront Winterland in Swansea informing people how they can get refunds.
The statement on Cardiff's event page said: "Following today’s Welsh Government announcement, we regret to inform customers Cardiff Winter Wonderland, the Ice Rink and Ice Walk along with the Ice Bar will not re-open after Christmas, and will be closed from 8pm on December 24. This is in-line with the Welsh Government's recent announcement regarding updated Covid safety announcement."
Porthcawl Christmas Day swim
Porthcawl's annual Christmas morning charity swim has been cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid restrictions.
Organisers confirmed the cancellation on Wednesday, December 22 following the announcement of Wales' new restrictions to be implemented from Boxing Day. You can read more about what they look like here.
The chilly Christmas dip, hosted at Sandy Bay in Porthcawl, has been postponed due to the new rules which will make it illegal to host gatherings of more than 50 people outside.
The annual swim usually draws in crowds of over 5000 and is used to fundraise money for Wales Air Ambulance among other local charities.
It would technically be allowed to go ahead under the timeline of new restrictions, however, organisers felt it would be "irresponsible" to encourage the meet up less than 24 hours before the rules changed.
Stereophonics
The 'Phonics and Tom Jones, plus more, were due to treat Cardiff to a hell of a gig at the Principality Stadium on Friday, December 17 and Saturday, December 18, but last week the decision was made to push back the dates until next summer.
Promoters and the stadium have said that due to the rise of the Omicron variant of coronavirus they believe the gig would not be able to be compliant with Covid restrictions. They also apologised to all due to attend and work the concerts.
Ticket holders would be contacted by their point of purchase and tickets purchased for the December 17 show will be valid for Friday, June 17 and tickets purchased for December 18 will be valid for the Saturday, June 18 show. Any customers who cannot attend the new dates should contact their point of purchase.
Only Men Aloud
The choir, formed in 2000, were due to perform at St Andrew's Church in Roath, Cardiff on Saturday, December 18. This has now been pushed back to Friday, March 26.
In a statement the choir said: "It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our Christmas Concert on Saturday. Our audience is always our priority, and we want you to feel safe and protected, especially with the concert being so close to Christmas. With the ever-rising numbers of cases of Covid 19, we feel this is the responsible thing to do. We’re gutted, but we must put you all first."
They advised fans that tickets would be valid for the new date, but to email Ticketsource if not suitable.
The Libertines
The indie rockers had been due to perform at Cardiff University Student Union on Thursday, December 9, but pulled out due to "strict adherence to Covid protocols".
They also postponed their performance in Leicester, with the cancelled shows set to be rescheduled in due course.
Pembrey Boxing Day Walrus Dip
The Boxing Day Walrus Dip at Pembrey Country Park’s Cefn Sidan beach has been cancelled in line with new Welsh Government rules.
Carmarthenshire Council said it had no option but to call off the annual fundraising event following an updated risk assessment and the new rules announced.
The Welsh Government has announced that from Boxing Day all indoor and outdoor sporting events in Wales must be held behind closed doors.
The latest measures have been introduced to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, in particular the new highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The New Theatre
Events and shows at the venue taking place between December 26 2021 and January 12 2022 are no longer going ahead.
All other events are currently unaffected and are going ahead as planned.
Wales Millennium Centre
The new restrictions have made it impossible for the centre to go ahead as planned over the festive period, according to staff at the venue.
In a statement on their website, it said: "These new restrictions have made it impossible for us to open the theatre in a way that provides a good audience experience and is economically viable.
"In response, and to protect our audiences, staff and production cast and crew, we regret that all performances of scheduled shows have been cancelled from 26 December until at least 15 January 2022. Our building will fully close from 26 December.
"Performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on 23 and 24 December have also been cancelled due to Covid-enforced absences in the cast and crew.
"If you have booked tickets to see a show during this period, the original booker will be automatically refunded. Thank you for your patience and support at this challenging time. We wish you a safe and happy Christmas."
Shows on December 21 and December 22 were also cancelled due to cast and crew absences.
Christmas at Bute Park light trail
Cardiff's popular 'Christmas at Bute Park' light trail will shut early following new restrictions announced by the Welsh Government.
Organisers have said that the event will shut on Boxing Day as new coronavirus restrictions intended to curb the spread of Omicron make "no exceptions for the attraction."
The attraction, which is new to the city for this year, has been popular since it opened on on November 25. It was due to run right through to January 3 but will now shut as of December 26.
Organisers said: "It is with great sadness that Christmas at Bute Park will be forced to shut its gates as of Boxing Day, bringing our trail to an early end.
"As an outdoor walking trail, through 40 acres of parkland, we fully believe we have created an attraction which can operate in a Covid-safe manner.
"Sadly, the wide scope of the new regulations makes no exceptions for the attraction, despite the mitigations and safety measures in place. Following clarification from the government, it is for this reason that Christmas Eve will now be our last date.
"We have loved every moment of producing the trail over the last 3 weeks, as we have worked hard to bring some Christmas cheer to our beautiful home at Bute Park. With a further 40,000 people expecting to visit us over the coming fortnight, we know this blow will be felt by many. "
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