Refund offered to disappointed fireworks spectators
Edgbaston has offered to refund spectators who attended Saturday’s fireworks event after adverse weather conditions affected the display.
Around 8,500 people attended the Fireworks Spectacular – one of the most popular events in the Birmingham cricket stadium’s calendar – but mist and lingering smoke from the display severely reduced visibility.
Warwickshire County Cricket Club will automatically refund the cost of general admission tickets to all ticket buyers, and these are currently being processed. This could take up to 28 days to appear in people’s accounts, depending on their bank provider.
Edgbaston Stadium chief executive Stuart Cain, said: “Everyone at Edgbaston is gutted. It’s a really popular event, our staff work hard to get it on, and we know families look forward to joining us for what is normally an amazing occasion.
“We had a great fireworks show on Friday evening: visitors enjoyed an amazing display on a clear night.
“But we can’t control the weather and, unfortunately on Saturday, it conspired against us. It was misty and the atmospheric conditions were such that smoke from the fireworks failed to dissipate.
“Smoke hung around in front of some stands and, while some spectators in the Hollies were able to see the show, views elsewhere were badly impacted.
“Other displays in the region had similar issues but, being a stadium, we suffered more than most. I’m really sorry about this and we will be giving people an automatic refund of the ticket price.”
Edgbaston’s Fireworks Spectacular is run in conjunction with an experienced pyrotechnics company and is thoroughly risk assessed in advance and during the display.
The club will continue to investigate what happened to ensure that similar issues don’t arise at future events.
