*Photograph: John O’Neill
ENNIS’ CHRISTMAS VILLAGE will not proceed this year, The Clare Echo has learned.
Since 2019, the Ennis Christmas Village was held in Abbey Street car park with the exception of 2020 to the pandemic.
An estimated 10,000 people attended the inaugural three-day Christmas Village in 2019.
Several local traders sold their various goods at the Christmas Village which also included a large carousel, Santa’s Grotto, Christmas style amusements and an illumination show.
Event Ready in the past fortnight informed traders who had stalls at the 2022 Christmas Village that they would be taking a break from organising the event in 2023 but remained hopeful of a return in 2024.
A spokesperson for Clare County Council confirmed to The Clare Echo that the Christmas Village was to be shelved for this winter.
“Due to rising costs year on year and a reduction in the number of traders participating in 2022, Ennis Municipal District opened up discussions with the provider. It was jointly concluded that the markets had been an enjoyable experience, but it was timely to explore alternative forms of entertainment”.
Other avenues are to be explored but difficulties have been encountered by the local authority. “Ennis MD has been engaging with other providers of Christmas entertainment, however very high costs (mainly due to insurance costs for providers) are proving challenging,” the spokesperson added.
