Worcester Balloon Festival 2023: Readers react to postponement

Worcester Balloon Festival revealed that it had to postpone the event until June because Worcester Racecourse is waterlogged.

The event was supposed to take place on Friday and Saturday, however, after a visit by Worcester City Council and Worcester Racecourse, they decided it was waterlogged and could be too slippery.

WATERLOGGED: Worcester Racecourse is saturated. (Image: NQ)

The festival will now take place on June 23 and 24.

Worcester News readers have said they are gutted to hear the news.

Esther Leah Griffiths said: "I'm gutted I was well looking forward to that."

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Worcester Balloon Festival said all tickets already purchased have been moved to the new date, however, some readers are unable to make the new date.

Demimay Richings said: "Gutted - I can’t do the next date either."

Salim Williams added: "We are away that weekend."

Others had planned to celebrate special occasions with loved ones at the event.

Angie Tippin said: "I was taking my grandson for his birthday."

If visitors are unable to make the new date in June, they have been told to request a refund through the ticket provider Skiddle.

Flood alerts were issued across Worcestershire yesterday (May 9) after heavy rainfall, and thunderstorms hit the county.

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Helen Taylor said: "What a shame, but given the weather we have experienced in Worcester, I can totally understand their difficult decision."

"Great British weather, thanks for the letdown," Julie Smith added.

A spokesperson for Worcester Balloon Festival said: "We came to the ground on Tuesday to find there was a lot of surface water, however, with some changes to the original layout, we tried to ensure we could still move ahead.

"The decision has been made following a Council and Racecourse site visit this morning.

"As a result of the rain and the forecast this week, it means the grounds are waterlogged and could be slippery in places.

"We are an inclusive event and understand the impact that this might have on some of our attendees with mobility issues.

"As well as this, we want to provide the very best experience for everyone in Worcester and therefore have made the difficult decision to postpone until June 23 and 24 to give the ground time to dry out."