Manchester's Christmas Markets have officially been cancelled for 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the global events calendar.
This year's Christmas lights switch-on event, New Year's Eve fireworks and Bonfire Night celebrations have also been called off.
With a 'very unusual Christmas in Manchester' expected, organisers say they plan to 'brighten up' the city with lighting attractions throughout the city centre instead.
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Originally, a scaled-back version had been proposed, instead of the larger annual event. However, this did not meet public health approval, with Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester's Christmas spokesperson, saying the council 'could never take any risks' with people's wellbeing.
He said in a statement: "We've cancelled everything. It's not met our commercial and public health tests, so the three markets in those locations have been cancelled, and won't take place.
"It was a million miles from the traditional Christmas Markets, which obviously people would have been very anxious about.
"Wall-to-wall markets was never part of our planning on it, we're not that daft.
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"The health of all of us, we could never take any risks with that.
"It's going to be a very unusual Christmas in Manchester but what we're going to do is put up additional lighting through the city centre and more static lighting attractions."
Karney said he didn't want Mancunians to 'have a North Korean Christmas', referencing the fact that the festive period is not celebrated in North Korea.
He added that the markets are usually 'the highlight of the economic season', and hopes that people will still visit the city centre for some Christmas shopping.
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The gigantic lit-up Father Christmas - which has become an iconic feature in Manchester at Chrismtas - will be installed in Piccadilly Gardens, while other additional lighting displays will also be seen across the city.
Karney said: "Adults know what's at stake in terms of health but I think kids will be bewildered about what's happening this Christmas - I'd like to point out that Father Christmas isn't poorly and all the kids in the city can expect him to visit us.
"We're going to brighten up Manchester with the lights."
The news follows the cancellation of similar events elsewhere, including Hyde Park's famous Winter Wonderland - marking the first time it will not take place since it started 13 years ago.
Featured Image Credit: ShutterstockTopics: Christmas, UK News, News, Manchester