Organisers of The Hoppings in Newcastle respond to cancellation fears

The organisers of the The Hoppings have spoken out to quell fears that the much-loved funfair on the Town Moor might not be going ahead this summer.

Following the recent run of bad weather, there had been concerns expressed on Facebook that the Newcastle site would be left too saturated to have time to dry out before the annual fair's planned June arrival. But organisers of the event, the biggest travelling fair in Europe, are keen to allay any fears that it might not happen this year.

The Town Moor is said to be still suffering from water damage but despite this on-going challenge caused by the weather, fairground operator Crow Events, which runs The Hoppings, plans to work around the problem areas of the ground. In news which will come as a relief to those whose yearly trip to the fair is a family tradition, Crow Events confirms that it will be taking place - although there may be "a slight reduction" in its size.

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It is not yet clear what attractions are likely to be affected. The Hoppings, which has a history of visits being marred by poor weather, had initially announced 400-plus rides, including a new white-knuckle ride for its June 21-30 run which will be its 142nd outing in Newcastle.

Ryan Crow, director of Crow Events, said: “Despite the many challenges caused by last summer’s awful weather - which led to a number of other events in Newcastle having to be cancelled - we are committed to ensuring The Hoppings goes ahead this year. We are working closely with the Freeman of the City to reconfigure the site to exclude the areas still suffering from water damage because we know how disappointed thousands of people would be if it didn’t take place."

He added: "We are currently finalising all of the details but we imagine a very small reduction in the amount of rides and attractions we can accommodate - but that will certainly not detract from the amazing experience The Hoppings always is and will continue to be.”