Anti-social behaviour fears force cancellation of Funtopia family fun festival at Riverside Park, Newark
A family fun festival has been cancelled after fears over anti-social behaviour.
Funtopia, ‘The Big Day Out for Little Kids’ had been scheduled to visit the Riverside Park in Newark today (August 31) as the final date on a nation-wide tour.
The decision was made at the last minute to protect staff and visitors after organisers were informed about anti-social behaviour at Newark Festival over the weekend which prevented a fireworks show from taking place.
There was concern that anti-social behaviour, such as tampering with generators or unplugging inflatable blowers, could create an unsafe environment.
The organisers confirmed the cancellation on Facebook, and said: “Not only do I not want my staff being assaulted or hurled abuse at, but I would not take my child to an event where I know its highly likely to receive trouble from local youths and could potentially be a dangerous situation, so why should I be willing to risk yours?
“Newark is a wonderful town and I really wanted to bring Funtopia to your community.
“I do hope that something can be done about these kids and we can visit when everything is sorted.”
It is the second time the event in Newark has been cancelled, after bad weather forced organisers to call off the festivities on April 30 earlier this year due to heavy rain leaving the ground saturated with water and unable to safely fix inflatables used in the event.
Designed for children under the age of 10, the festival would have featured role play areas, sumo suits, water fights, stage shows, giant inflatable games, character meet and greets, an under 5’s area, high energy inflatables and more.
