The Hamilton Christmas Boat Parade has been switched from Saturday to this coming Sunday evening because of gale-force winds forecast for the middle of the weekend.

Gusts of more than 40 knots or 46mph are expected, a spokeswoman for the City said, leading organisers to move the popular event to its scheduled rain date.

Jessica Astwood, the City of Hamilton’s director of marketing and communications, said that while the one day postponement came as a disappointment, the City promised Sunday’s festivities would still have “a full complement of boats, activities and excitement, including fireworks”.

“We want our spectating public as well as the parade participants to enjoy the festivities without having to endure inclement and potentially unsafe conditions.”

All scheduled closures and marine notices have been moved to Sunday.

These include the closure of No 1 and No 5 car parks, as well as reducing Harbour Road to one-way traffic, and marine closures as published by government departments.

Updates and reminders will be given through the City of Hamilton’s social media channels on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.