An outdoor cinema event due to take place this weekend has been cancelled due to what organisers have called 'an ongoing external safety concern around the perimeter' of the event at Clifton Downs. The remainder of the shows in Bristol, including an outdoor showing of the hit musical West Side Story have been cancelled with immediate effect.
In a post to social media, Adventure Cinema wrote: "Due to an ongoing external safety concern around the perimeter of our event arena at Clifton Downs, we have unfortunately been forced to cancel the remainder of our Bristol shows this weekend, with immediate effect. The safety of our customers and staff is of the highest priority to us and the situation leaves us with no option but to cancel all shows to assure everyone involved is kept safe.
"All ticket holders will of course be refunded in full automatically, so there is no need to request a refund. It is with great sadness that we have to make this decision and we are extremely sorry for the huge inconvenience and disappointment this will cause but hope you will understand the difficult position that we are in.
Read more: Vegan Bristol Airport passenger served eggs and butter on his sandwich
"We are very sorry to have to cancel. This is a safety issue outside of our event area and nothing to do with our event but I'm sure you can understand that we must keep yourselves and our staff safe and have to react to the ongoing situation."
Comments under the post claimed that people from a traveller encampment on the Downs nearby had managed to get into the event, with some attendees claiming they were "stealing food and drinks and assaulting customers". One parent said he had to leave as his daughter "was getting really upset and anxious".
Bristol Live has approached Adventure Cinema for comment on this, however when responding to comments online by those who attended the Encanto showing on Friday, August 5, the company said they were "aware of the situation at Bristol Downs" and were "sorry to hear that customers were impacted by the incidents". They added: "The security arrangements were more than adequate for this event and met all the authority's requirements but these were exceptional circumstances.
"We have run very successful events on the same site in previous years with no security problems. Our customer's and staff's safety has and always will be our first consideration which is why we had no option but to cancel all these events."
They also urged anyone who had been affected by the events to email the customer services team on help@adventurecinema.co.uk.
Read next:
- New Bristol independent traders' market in Broadmead extended due to early success
- Luminarium: Huge new inflatable experience appears on College Green this week
- Do you think Bristol’s iconic hot air balloons negatively impact the environment?
- Bristol Balloon Fiesta 2022: Everything you need to know on travel for this year's festival
- Bristol Hippodrome relaunches its popular backstage tours - how to get tickets
