A major Oxfordshire fireworks display has been postponed due to an extreme risk of fire.
The Abingdon International Fireworks Festival will now take place on Saturday, April 10, 2027, after organisers deemed it unsafe to proceed during the current period of prolonged dry weather.
The decision follows recent wildfires across the UK and ongoing concerns about the potential danger to people, property, and the environment.
In a statement, organisers said: "It is with enormous disappointment that we confirm Abingdon International Fireworks Festival has been postponed until Saturday 10th April 2027.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly.
"An extraordinary amount of work has gone into creating this event – not only designing and preparing the incredible displays, but months of planning, risk assessments, countless safety meetings and the development of an extensive fire mitigation plan.
"We reached the pre-determined trigger point within our safety planning last week at which postponement became the responsible decision.
"There is some very welcome rain in the forecast, but unfortunately it will not be sufficient to reverse the effects of the prolonged dry weather or reduce the extreme fire risk to a level at which we believe it would be responsible to proceed."
Organisers of the event, which claims to be the UK's biggest fireworks display, emphasised that the safety of the community and emergency responders was their top priority.
They said: "No fireworks display, however spectacular, is worth risking people's homes, livelihoods, our countryside or the safety of those who would have to respond if something went wrong.
"So rather than take that risk, we're moving the festival to: Saturday, April 10 2027 - Easter holidays."
All existing tickets will remain valid for the new date.
Standard admission ticket holders who are unable to attend in 2027 can request a transfer to the Abingdon Funfair & Fireworks event on Saturday, November 14.
However, ticket transfers are not available for VIP tickets, and all tickets remain non-refundable.
Organisers acknowledged the disappointment and disruption caused by the postponement.
They said: "We know this will be disappointing for many of you.
"We are devastated too.
"There are enormous financial and practical consequences to postponing an event of this scale, but ultimately doing the right thing has to come before everything else."
It follows the driest July on record for the country, when only 7mm of rain was measured, or 10 per cent of the average. Oxfordshire saw even less than that.
On Friday evening, millions of people in England and Wales received an alert on their mobile devices warning them of a “very high risk of wildfires nationally”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham described Britain as a “tinderbox” and a temporary ban on disposable barbecues was put in place.
Will Lang, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, said that while rain is on its way, there remains a question mark over how much would fall.
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