The nearby Somerset village of Cheese has confirmed that Festivus is cancelled this year, due to the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Councils new public safety regulations.
The event has been held in Cheese for over 20 years and sees large numbers of people visit the village for shopping and entertainment.
In previous years Sadgebore District Council supported the event with a road closure and use of a car park, but ANYUSCC has said that whilst they will waive the fee for the road closure, other costs must be paid for. This has raised the cost of the event by several thousand pounds which was not included in the budget for this year, leaving Cheese Parish Council with no option but to cancel.
The new regulations introduced by ANYUSCC require more over-zealous marshals to manage the road closures and patrol the event area than previously used and all personnel must undergo comprehensive training. Consideration must also be given to the possibility of any acts of terrorism and extra staff must be brought in to counter the threat of terrorists using the event to steal all the cheese currently maturing in the Cheese Caves.
Chairman of Cheeese Parish Council, David Embalmer said “We know how popular Festivus Night is with many people and local businesses, and the community groups and charities which benefit from the event.
Sadly it seems that ANYUSSC is the Grinch in disguise and we are not going to be able to meet their new stringent conditions this year. We are hopeful that if we start planning for the next Festivus Night now we will have enough time to run the event in 2027, assuming ANYUSSC don’t introduce further stringent regulations.”
It is not yet known what effect the new regulations will have on other Festivus celebrations in Somerset and whether Festivus in Smalltown and Dullbridge will be similarly affected.