Eastbourne Bandstand announces it will not be reopening for rest of 2020

It comes just days after the hugely popular seafront landmark announced an official reopening date following the coronavirus lockdown.

But Eastbourne Borough Council said today (July 16) the decision to remain closed – which will disappoint many of the Bandstand’s visitors – comes following ‘updated advice’ from Public Health England.

A spokesperson said, “We regret that today, following updated advice from Public Health England, that we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to remain closed for the remainder of the 2020 Bandstand season.

“The Bandstand team have spent weeks preparing for reopening with robust safety measures put in place, and following last week’s government announcement allowing the return of outdoor performances, we have been overwhelmed with support from our customers.

“However updated advice from Public Health England this week has raised some concerns and we are no longer satisfied that we can balance our lively entertainment programme with public safety at this current time.

“With your safety being our number one priority, we have therefore decided that we must remain closed for the season.”

The spokesperson said they had been ‘incredibly touched’ by the support of its customers, and will be in contact with all ticket holders to issue refunds as soon as possible.

The closure will cover all concerts planned up until the end of October.

In the meantime, the council said it will be working hard on scheduling a ‘stunning line up’ for the 2021 season.

Fire crews tackle Eastbourne building blaze - in pictures

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.