A jazz festival organiser claims road closures for a motorsport event will ‘effectively shut down’ a village’s hospitality businesses on one of their busiest nights of the week.
The Chris Kelly Memorial Rally will see Shore Road, Rushen, and roads around Port Erin closed on Friday evening (October 2).
At the same time, the sixth annual Port Erin Jazz Festival is taking place at the Erin Arts Centre.
Event organiser Jerry Carter said the festival is going ahead as planned.
He said motorsport is very important for the Isle of Man. But he added: ‘It is somewhat disturbing that hospitality businesses can be effectively shut down on their busiest night of the week by the stroke of an administrative pen under legislation which requires no statutory impact assessment of communities and businesses affected by the road closure.
‘However, the festival is very much going ahead.
‘Jazz has been the music of protest ever since it evolved in North America a century ago. Most dictators hated it - Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and especially Adolf Hitler who considered its black roots subversive and banned it completely. Instead he organised rallies!’
The Port Erin Jazz Festival, which is now in its sixth year, will see performances at the Erin Arts Centre on Friday and Saturday evening and free jazz at three venues on Saturday afternoon - featuring 11 island bands at the Bay Hotel, The Falcon’s Nest and the Station Hotel.
Station Road, Church Road and the promenade in Port Erin are all closing between 5.30pm to 11.30pm on Friday before the rally moves north on Saturday.
The road closures will mean that access to the two Chinese takeaways, the Falcon’s Nest and the Balmoral hotel will not be possible while the Bay Hotel will be virtually cut off and the Indian restaurant at Breagle Glen, the Haven and Station pubs and the popular Port Erin Chippy will all be effected.
Bus service restrictions will also hamper hospitality businesses throughout the south.
Mr Carter said that the Erin Arts Centre can be accessed by taking the A7 Ballabeg/Colby road.
He added: ‘We are aware of three outlets where visitors to the festival are staying - The Balmoral, the Falcon’s Nest and a self-catering outlet and have advised everyone of the closures.’
Friday night’s rally stage starts at Sound Road, Cregneash and heads up Mull Road and Ballafurt Road before reaching Shore Road, Port Erin and then heading up Strand Road, Station Road, the Promenade and ending at Bridson Street at its junction with Bay View Road.
Headlining at the Jazz Festival on Friday night are Full Circle, a quartet from Brighton who have won multiple awards and are supported by the Manx Blue Train Big Band.
On Saturday night the main acts are Desmarias, a trio of London college graduates supported by regular visitor Beccy Rork and local quartet The Vanguards
Saturday afternoon at the Bay Hotel will see Big Wheel Blues Band, Hot Toast and the Heinrich Manoeuvre, at the Station Hotel Darryl Williams, Mood Indigo Amore and John Gregory and at the Riddler Bar Blue Vannin, Bossa del Jazz and the Great Festival jam session.
Sponsors are Ramsey Cookall, Bushy’s, the Steam Packet, and Carters.
