MINEHEAD’S Christmas Festival is starting tonight (Friday) after a rollercoaster ride – at one point this week organisers thought the three-day event would have to be cancelled for safety reasons, and a last-minute appeal was made last week for help with funding.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the organisers, Gateway Events, said that Somerset County Council and Avon and Somerset Police had now confirmed the road could be closed for the festival from today and the three-day extravaganza was all set to go.

A spokesman for Gateway Events confirmed there had been operational issues: “But we got there, that is the main thing. At the end of the day, in hindsight, we will review the issues, but we worked hard to get there, and the police and councils all supported us.

“It is a community event and we are looking to the community to come and support us.”

The festival will take place from 10am to 9pm today and tomorrow, and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday, with all of The Parade and much of The Avenue closed to traffic from midnight last night to very early on Monday morning.

Tonight will see Santa arriving at the front of the Old Hospital at 6pm; a lantern procession starting at 6.30pm from the Old Hospital to the end of the festival area; a Christmas lights switch-on at 7pm outside the Old Hospital, plus late night shopping.

Throughout the three days there will be fairground rides for all ages, street entertainers, dancers, stilt walkers, stalls, music and more, with Santa in his grotto at the Old Hospital on Saturday and Sunday from 11am.

Gateway Events is a not-for-profit group of volunteers who put on events in the town, and raise money primarily towards the Christmas Festival.

Rumours were rife on social media over the last few weeks about whether the event was going ahead or not, with many people also saying how much they enjoyed the first festival that the group organised last year.

“Any news if this is still going ahead? I’ve heard loads of rumours it’s been stopped, shortened, moved, no fair, fair moved, all sorts. Maybe someone can actually say what’s going on,” was one Facebook query earlier this week.

At one point on Tuesday, Gateway Events chairman Bill Howard told the Free Press the festival would have to be cancelled because of public safety issues, only to confirm shortly afterwards that it could go ahead.

The event had been given the final green light from everyone on the Safety Advisory Group, which consists of such organisations as the police, county highways, councils, and others.