Caroline Bay Carnival cancelled over Covid

Organisers of Timaru's Caroline Bay Carnival say they've made the hard decision to cancel this year's event, the first time it's been done in 111 years.

• First published by RNZ

The carnival was set to be held between December 26 and January 10.

The decision was announced at a volunteer meeting last night.

"The Govt guidelines at the time of making our decision meant there was no way we could run our carnival," organisers said on Facebook.

"We feel the well being of volunteers and the community and any exposure of Covid-19 into the district would jeopardize the carnival and as hard as the decision was to make, we believe it was the right one."

This year's carnival was to include entertainment including a Eagles tribute show and Elton John tribute show, talent quests and a New Year's Eve fireworks show.