This year’s Christmas Boat Parade has been cancelled due to low entries and a lack of fireworks.

A “bigger and better parade” will instead be held in December next year, Hamilton mayor Charles Gosling said today.

He added: “This was always going to be a difficult transitional year for the Christmas Boat Parade.

“We agreed to take over from the founders who had organised the parade for the past 20 years because we believe we can grow this into a major event for the city and for tourism on the island.”

But Mr Gosling added that there were “several issues beyond our control that will impact the overall event quality if we were to proceed this December”.

He said: “One of those issues is the low number of participants who have registered to enter the parade.

“The other is that the company who provide the fireworks display for the boat parade and many other local events, are no longer offering this service.

“And we didn’t feel the parade could proceed without the magnificent fireworks finale we have come to enjoy over the years.”

Mr Gosling added the Corporation of Hamilton would “now regroup and double our efforts to address these issues and come back next year with a bigger and better parade”.

He said: “We wish to thank the companies who so generously provide sponsorship funds and also to those boat owners who did sign up for this year’s parade.

“We want to assure them, as well as the public, that we are committed to delivering a first-class event in 2018.

“I hope our many Christmas Boat Parade fans can be patient and I urge all boat owners to plan to participate in 2018.”

The parade was scheduled for December 9 and will now be held in December next year.