08 December 2023 , 12:14
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Coca-Cola's famous red truck will not be rolling into Belfast this weekend as the organisers are concerned about the public's safety amid weather warnings for Northern Ireland.
The events, which were planned for the Titanic Quarter today, tomorrow and Sunday, have been cancelled "due to weather conditions and the prioritisation of public safety".
A yellow weather warning for rain covers parts of Co Antrim, Co Derry, and parts of Co Tyrone. It will come into force at 6am on Saturday, December 9, until 7pm on the same day. A yellow weather warning for wind covering Co Down, Co Fermanagh and parts of Co Antrim and Co Tyrone comes into force at 9am on Saturday until 11.45pm.
The Met Office said: "Heavy persistent rain will spread east across Northern Ireland from early Saturday morning, clearing by early evening. Accumulations of widely 20-30 mm and locally 40-55 mm over the hills are expected."
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said efforts are underway to find an alternative date.
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Organisers are trying to arrange a new date (Moment Editorial/Getty Images)Unlike previous years where people would just turn up at the venue and hope for a spot, this year guests were being asked to buy tickets for both the Dublin and Belfast events. For both events tickets were limited to four per person and the €2 charge is being donated to charity, but a booking fee of €1.14 per ticket means you needed to pay €3.14 to attend. There are two slots either 2pm to 5pm or 6pm to 9pm. Tickets holders are advised to hold onto their tickets until they receive further communication from Coca-Cola.
A spokeswoman said: "Public safety is a primary concern for Coca-Cola at all events it undertakes to deliver and as a result of current weather conditions in Belfast and the specific impact of these conditions on The Titanic Quarter the decision has been taken by the company to cancel the event for all planned dates this week including Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of December.
"All ticket holders to the Coca-Cola Real Magic Christmas experience are advised to hold onto their tickets until they receive further communication from Coca-Cola via the email address provided at time of purchase. Efforts are underway by the company to find an alternative date so that Coca-Cola can still deliver its Real Magic experience in Belfast for those impacted by the cancellation of events this weekend.
"Should this be possible ticket holders will be contacted via the contact email they provided at time of purchase. If suitable dates cannot be found, the event will be fully cancelled, and ticket holders will be entitled to a full refund. It was intended that the money collected through the ticket sales was to be donated directly to YouthAction NI. Despite the potential refunding of ticket sales Coca-Cola confirmed today that they will honour the commitment to make the donation to YouthAction NI this Christmas."
Speaking on behalf of Coca-Cola, Aisling Wilde, Senior Manager Brand Experiences for GB&I said: “We’re truly sorry that events outside of our control have led to the cancellation of this special Christmas experience in Belfast this weekend. We were looking forward to bringing people together to celebrate in the magic of Christmas. Efforts are underway to find alternative arrangements so that we can still deliver our Real Magic experience for those impacted by the cancellation this weekend.”
All other stops on the tour are expected to continue as normal.