The annual Beer and Cider Festival has been cancelled for the second year running because of the coronavirus outbreak.
But organisers have vowed to return in 2022.
The festival’s committee this week announced that it had concluded that the only responsible course of action was to cancel this year’s event.
The festival, which would have been held in the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall, was to take place from Thursday, April 8, to Saturday, April 10, the weekend after Easter.
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A spokesman said: ’Despite much hard work by the committee, the Covid19 factors beyond our control made the logistics of staging the festival an impossible task.
’We would like to thank our main sponsors - advocates Long & Humphrey, GrayLaw Freight and the Department for Enterprise - for their continued support.’
The chairman of the festival committee, Matt Cox, said: ’Without the help we receive from our sponsors, events like ours would struggle to go ahead.
’I hope they will continue to support us for next year’s festival. This is set for April 7 to 9, 2022, again at the Villa Marina, where we hope to welcome back our loyal beer and cider supporters.’