Britain’s biggest boat show will be taking a year off due to the Coronavirus outbreak, however the organisers are considering staging a smaller event later in the year.
The 2020 edition of the Southampton Boat Show has been cancelled, with organiser British Marine announcing on Friday night (July 3rd) that Coronavirus guidelines have made hosting the large-scale event unfeasible this year.
With crowds of more than 100,000 people predicted, the decision to postpone the 52nd version of Britain’s biggest boat show is perhaps unsurprising, but British Marine has vowed that the Southampton Boat Show will be “back stronger than ever in 2021”.
Boat show fans can look forward to a smaller event that British Marine is hoping to stage in line with the Government’s latest advice on events, which is due to be published this week.
“As government guidance on COVID-19 evolves, British Marine will continue to work with both exhibitors and key event stakeholders to explore all other opportunities, including an alternative smaller scale outdoor event to support the leisure marine industry and its members,” said British Marine CEO Lesley Robinson.
No further details have been revealed at this stage, but British Marine has vowed to work closely with local authorities including Southampton City Council.
“Southampton is known for its jam-packed events calendar and the boat show is one of our biggest and most popular features, attracting tens of thousands of people into our city and putting Southampton on the map.” added Councillor Satvir Kaur, Southampton City Council Cabinet Member for Homes and Culture.
“We are keen to revive Southampton’s thriving events offering, while working within public health advice and government guidelines. We look forward to welcoming back the boat show and celebrating everything our great city has to offer, when it is safe to do so.”
The news comes shortly after the 2020 Monaco Yacht Show was cancelled, although at the time of writing the 2020 Cannes Yachting Festival is still due to go ahead from September 8-13. Meanwhile, the delayed 2020 British Motor Yacht Show will run in Swanwick Marina from August 1-9 on an appointment-only basis.
