One of the flagship events in Bristol’s calendar has been postponed for a second successive year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisers of the Bristol Harbour Festival, due to take place in July, said that despite lockdown restrictions now being slowly lifted, there isn’t time to properly prepare the three-square mile event site or curate the programme of more than 300 artists and performers and 200 visiting vessels.

The three-day celebration of the city’s rich maritime heritage draws tens of thousands of visitors to the city and provides a huge boost to the local economy – which would have been particularly welcome this year as the hospitality sector, in particular, re-opens its doors.

Organisers are instead putting all their efforts into ensuring the festival returns in style in 2022, when it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Jon Finch, Bristol City Council’s Head of Culture and Creative Industries, said: “The events sector in Bristol is one of the most important parts of the city’s identity, which makes the decision to postpone the Harbour Festival all the harder.

“We are determined to make sure as many safe smaller-scale events are facilitated and supported to take place this year as possible and we are also going to do all we can to make sure that the Harbour Festival will return next year to celebrate its 50th anniversary.”

“The roadmap out of lockdown potentially means a very uncertain time for many of the thousands of events sector workers and festival attendees who live in the city. However, we are continuing to support as many events as we can this summer.’’

While the postponement of the Harbour Festival may disappoint many fans, a number of events are set to go ahead this summer, including Breaking Bread, Bristol Comedy Garden and the Spiegeltent.

Carly Heath, Bristol’s Night-Time Economy Advisor, said: “The Harbour Festival is taking a breather this year, but we are still expecting many ticketed events to take place and we will support as many as we possibly can.

“The events sector in Bristol is intrinsically linked to our night-time economy and as we safely emerge from lockdown we know how keen Bristolians are to get back out to enjoy our night time culture.’’