Riverside Festival set to be watered down again

FIREWORKS, MUSIC AND STALLS COULD BE AXED FOR A SECOND YEAR

- By LOUIS CORBETT

THE Riverside Festival, famous for its live music, bars, fireworks, and summery fun on Victoria Embankment, has been scaled back for a second year with Mellors Group to run a funfair instead of the festival again.

Previously billed as "the East Midlands' biggest free family festival," the event attracts thousands each year and, until recent years, had a whole host of events for the whole family spanning over two days in August.

Last year’s event saw the festival significantly rolled back, with all events cancelled and a funfair as the only available attraction after Nottingham City Council declared that it wanted the event to be “cost-neutral”.

First held in 1973, the event attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the Embankment for its variety of events.

Yet as the council tries to cut costs amid a budget crisis, it has cancelled the event and continued its commitment to a small fun fair, replacing the prestigious festival.