The Government has updated guidelines which cover attendance at Christmas illumination events in England. Due to likely ongoing restrictions, the government does not wish to see large events taking place that risk lots of people congregating. The new National (No. 4) Regulations enable outdoor recreation following any required social distancing and limits on numbers to continue, and this includes walking the outdoor grounds of venues with Christmas illuminated trails.
The government is content for these installations to proceed, only if the following conditions are met:
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- All sites operating Christmas illumination trails will be expected to operate within strict social distancing and COVID-safe guidelines.
- Each site must ensure that crowds are controlled, and that there is no singular event that has more people in attendance (e.g. a launch night).
- Each site must take measures to ensure that visitors do not congregate around particular installations.
- Each site must provide assurance on how visitor numbers will be controlled, and how social distancing will be maintained throughout (e.g. one-way routes, crowd management, etc).
- Operators will need to ensure that any food or drink provision at these sites is in line with the requirements set out in the Regulations. Please also refer to the Visitor Economy guidance.
- We would expect operators to make clear that the requirements set out in the Regulations around household groups and linked household groups to be strictly adhered to.
- Local authorities should ensure that these steps are taken, and will have the power to close these down where the steps above are not taken.
