Mahone Bay Town Hall adorned in holiday decorations. Photo: Father Christmas Festival/Facebook
Mahone Bay has already cancelled it’s annual Scarecrow Festival in October and town officials say the Father Christmas Festival could be next.
David Devenne, Mayor of Mahone Bay, doesn’t see the COVID-19 pandemic or the accompanying health regulations clearing up soon enough for the event to go ahead.
“We already decided to cancel the Scarecrow Festival and right now we don’t expect the Father Christmas Festival to take place,” said Devenne.
Mahone Bay is very reliant on tourism and both the Scarecrow and Father Christmas festivals help to attract more visitors after the summer when the season begins to wind down.
“The retail shops around here rely on that eight month window that starts around the beginning of May and ends with the Father Christmas Festival,” Devenne says.
The town released it’s budget on Wednesday and according to Devenne it was relatively unaffected by COVID-19 as most of the town revenue was already generated from the previous 2019 tourism season.
“Financially for this year the town did not have to make major changes,” said Devinee, “Where things become an issue in next year after property assessments are done and we have a clearer idea how revenue will be impacted.”
No official decision has been made on the fate of the Father Christmas Festival which typically starts the last weekend of November.
