ORGANISERS of the Fowey Christmas Market are set to retain an ‘admin free’ from stallholders who were due to attend this year’s event which was cancelled last week.

The popular festive celebration, which was meant to be held between Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 6, will no longer take place after organisers confirmed that the market had become financially and operationally unviable.

Stallholders who had signed up for this year’s event were informed of the cancellation in an email on Friday (October 9), but were told that anyone who had planned to attend as a trader would receive a refund less a £50 admin charge.

In an email by Andrew Weaver, managing director of parent company Live Events South West, it was stated that traders could roll on their booking over to 2027 should the event return.

Traders have also been given the opportunity to transfer their funds to book onto another event, including the Cornwall Christmas Market at Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge, as well as the Truro Cathedral Christmas Market.

The email read: “As part of the terms and conditions, we can move the event to a new location and or to an alternative date. Alternatively we could roll your booking over to next year should this issue be resolved for 2027.

“However, we do not feel any of these are the fairest course of action and will therefore refund all stallholders less a £50 + admin charge (which is 50 per cent less than the T&C’s state).

“You also have the option to transfer your funds to book onto either of the below events should you wish to. Hopefully you will see we are doing our best to minimise the impact on stallholders."

Since 2015, the Fowey Christmas Market has welcomed thousands of visitors and residents each year for an entertaining weekend of festive merriment, Christmas shopping, and seasonal music.

In a statement, which was released on Friday, organisers confirmed that despite putting a lot of time and money into this year’s event, significant costs and other factors have forced them to make the difficult decision to cancel December’s event.

The organisers also claimed that life was made more difficult by "a handful of individuals who do not represent the views of our visitors or wider town," and who had "their own agenda, which negatively impacts the event, local businesses and traders."

Moving this year’s light switch on and parade to a different date, instead of the opening night of the market, was one decision that had a “direct impact” on the viability of the event.

The statement read: “After putting our heart and soul into this event over the last 10 years, it is with a heavy heart to inform you that Fowey Christmas Market will not be taking place this year.

“It’s news none of us wanted, but the viability of the event over the last five years has been extremely challenging. We have had to go well beyond the call of duty to ensure the event survives by subsidising the event with unpaid time, absorbing the increased costs and working from every angle to ensure we deliver a high-quality event for our visitors, traders, and the businesses and people of Fowey.

“We have worked extremely hard delivering and building this event up to what it is today and very proud of that we have achieved over the years. However, significant increases in costs year on year and other factors outside of our control have directly impacted the viability of the event, which has now taken us to the edge.

“We have already put a lot of time and money into this year, for which we will lose, and this is not what we want after investing so much over the years. We have done our utmost to deliver this year’s event, and we acknowledge that this impacts many other people and businesses who have planned to visit. We have tried our very best to deliver an event for everyone, and we are very sorry to disappoint you all.”

Organisers have not ruled out the possibility of the event making a comeback in the near future, stating that it could return when they regroup next year if they can "get over these challenges".

They also thanked visitors, traders and businesses for their support over the years, calling the market a "labour of love."