CHRISTMAS light switch-ons and other festive events have been called off across the UK.
The rising cost of living is putting a dampener on celebrations for hundreds of thousands of families.
Local authorities primarily blame rocketing energy prices for the cancellations.
Guildford Borough Council in Surrey said it could not “afford or justify” funding its annual twinkly gathering on the high street, which attracts more than 7,000 people.
Councillor Joss Bigmore said “significant financial challenges” in maintaining its Christmas budget meant it could no longer go ahead.
Similarly in Ely, Cambridgeshire, cost concerns mean its lights switch-on is also off for 2022.
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The city council unanimously ruled to scrap the event as it could no longer afford the £9,000 needed for the ceremony.
Light shows in Tenterden, Kent, and Cabot Circus, Bristol, have also been axed.
Organisers said “spiralling” energy prices mean the occasions are just not viable.
Grants and fees paid by market stallholders are usually enough to cover the costs in Tenterden, but this year the estimated bill for electricity, insurance and first aid reportedly tripled.
Elsewhere, Truro in Cornwall will shine less brightly as its City of Lights Parade has been scrapped over a lack of funds.
Manchester residents also won’t get to enjoy a mass winter glow thanks to the amount of construction work in the city.
And there will be no dramatic illumination in Boxberry Gardens in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, due to “limited resources”.
Christmas markets have also taken a hit, with cancellations in Leeds, Southampton and Glasgow.
The fair in West Yorkshire, which is usually held in Millennium Square, said it faced “significant budget pressures” worsened by “foreign travel work visa costs and complications”.
Many of Britain’s Christmas events are still going ahead, but only just – and visitors should expect some elements to be scaled down.
For example, the lights on London‘s Oxford Street will shine for reduced hours this year as businesses try to save on energy bills.
Instead of being on 24/7 as normal, the 300,000 LED lights will only be on between 3pm and 11pm.
In St Ives, Cornwall, locals were asked to pledge money to support the town’s display, and volunteers had to step in to save the decorations in Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
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And things might look a little different in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, as the cost of putting its festive light show on this year has “risen substantially”.
The cost for the 30ft has doubled to £600 since 2020, and it will cost £18,000 to light up the high street.
