Remember, remember to walk to big show
THOUSANDS of people are expected to attend Monday’s civic bonfire and fireworks display – and organisers have made a plea for them to get there on foot.
Highland Council is getting the Bught Park site ready for the evening which is likely to be even more popular than last weekend’s Halloween event which attracted 15,000 people.
A local authority spokeswoman said: "Drivers are reminded that parking restrictions will be in place around the Bught area on Monday night with priority access continuing to be given to the emergency services, disabled drivers and residents – and all other drivers are asked to use the 2800-plus car parking spaces available in the city centre and park away from the site.
"The importance of spectators parking away from the site was demonstrated last weekend when 15,000 spectators attended the council’s Halloween show on the Ness Islands; and many families contributed greatly to the success of the event by setting off earlier and walking to the show."
Entertainment will start at 5.30pm when the funfair opens. An assortment of mascots will arrive around a giant bonfire at about 7pm and there will be performances by the Fly Agaric Fire Display Team and the City of Inverness Youth Pipe Band.
The bonfire will be lit by Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael at 7.30pm and this year’s 20-minute musical fireworks display will commence at approximately 7.55pm once the crowd has moved from the shinty field to the stadium field to get the best possible view of the show.
Highland councillor Trish Robertson, of the organising Inverness events and festivals working group, said: "We are grateful to everybody who co-operated by leaving their cars in the city centre car parks and walked to the Halloween show last weekend.
"We expect an even larger crowd to attend our bonfire and fireworks display on November 5. We appeal for everyone to plan their visit so that they have time to park well away from the site and walk to join us."
The Infirmary Bridge will be closed for one hour after the event following a recent review of post-event congestion in the surrounding area. There will also be a variety of road closures on the night.
Meanwhile, as part of a national safety campaign, the council’s trading standards team are urging people to enjoy fireworks safely and responsibly.
Manager David MacKenzie said: "We want everyone to enjoy their bonfire night and many families and friends may be attending private bonfire night parties.
"We would advise anyone organising their own bonfire night or fireworks event to take a few precautions when buying fireworks and avoid buying fireworks from non-legitimate sources, as they may be unsafe to use.
"We would urge members of the public to consider attending organised fireworks display where possible. Public firework events can be much more exciting to watch. They tend to cost thousands of pounds and use fireworks that are not available to members of the public and so can also be good value for money."
The trading standards team is supporting a national consumer safety campaign on fireworks, which is led jointly by the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards and Office for Product Safety and Standards.
For more: www.tradingstandards.uk/news-policy/campaigns/fireworks-safety-awareness-campaign
