Sold-out open-air street feast in Cork cancelled over Euro 2016 clash

Diners who forked out €50 for a sold-out open-air street feast in Cork City have cried foul after a clash with the Euros forced the cancellation of their dinner plans.

Organisers of the Our Table event on Oliver Plunkett St said they are “deeply disappointed” to have to pull the plug on the event.

Cork Midsummer Festival confirmed yesterday that everyone who bought a ticket for the June 26 dinner date will be fully refunded. It is understood that its clash with Euro 2016 games — thousands of fans are expected in city pubs that evening — was among the key reasons for the cancellation.

Up to 12 of the city’s top restaurants united for the inaugural long table-style event last year, serving meals to some 400 people at tables set up on the street. Staged as part of the 2015 Midsummer Festival, it was deemed a huge success. Tickets for this year’s event sold out within days and it was set to be one of the highlights of the festival.

However, Cork Midsummer issued a statement yesterday confirming the cancellation, and saying key stakeholders had “encountered unforeseen difficulties presenting the event in the format advertised”.

“The date for Our Table was set prior to the announcement of the Euro 2016 fixtures,” they said. “The event plans hadn’t factored in the additional numbers of people who would be in the city centre on June 26.

“The organisers looked into moving the event to a number of different locations. However, they felt that it wasn’t going to live up to last year’s event or the advertised format. After much consideration, the very difficult decision was made to cancel this year’s event.”

Restaurateur Claire Nash, of Nash 19, said they were disappointed to cancel, but felt they had no option: “We had every intention of staging an even better event this year but the logistics were just proving too difficult to organise at this stage.

“It takes huge organisation and co-ordination and we felt what was the point in doing it unless we could do it properly. It is essential that Cork is showcased as the producing capital of Ireland, and we felt that we just couldn’t deliver, with the expectations that were there after last year’s fantastic event.”

Ms Nash insisted those involved are committed to ensuring a top-quality event is organised for 2017.

Cork Midsummer said all ticket holders will receive a 100% refund, including booking fees, directly into their accounts within three to five working days. They also said they will be actively involved in the consultation process with all the Our Table partners to organise next year’s event.

The Cork Midsummer Festival runs from June 17 to 19, on June 21, and from June 24 to 26, with more than 40 events staged across the city.