Rotorua's New Years Eve Glo Festival cancelled

The free annual event, held on New Year's Eve, usually attracts up to 15,000 people to the Village Green. Photo / Supplied

This year's Rotorua New Year's Eve Glo Festival has been cancelled.

In a statement today, Rotorua Lakes Council Arts and Culture Manager Stewart Brown said the council were left with no choice but to cancel after recent local Covid-19 cases and significant uncertainty still existing around guidelines to safely host large local events.

This free annual event, held on New Year's Eve, usually attracts up to 15,000 people to the Village Green at the Rotorua Lakefront for a family evening of music, local talent, movies, performing arts and fireworks.

Given last year's event was also cancelled for Covid-related reasons, event organisers have spent the last few months exploring many different options to try and make this event go ahead for the community, and for the event suppliers and entertainers who make it a night to remember, the statement said.

"Unfortunately, the risks around hosting this large event have been considered too high in a region still working hard to increase their Covid-19 vaccination rate along with the emergence of local cases of the infectious Delta variant.

"The festival has been fortunate to have the backing of a number of external funders who have generously supported the event for many years, including Rotorua Trust, Four Winds and One Foundation.

"The Glo team would like to thank these organisations for their ongoing support and are discussing the potential for a new local event in the first half of 2022 for the community to enjoy."