Residents in the upmarket suburb of Pinner say the town is suffering as a result of its cherished Christmas “pantomime evening” being scrapped. Despite hailing the town on the edge of London as the “only place they would like to live,” the community feel that its festive spirit has been dampened by the fact the event, initially halted during the Covid pandemic, has now been permanently discontinued.
The tradition, spanning over two decades, encouraged visitors to indulge in late-night shopping, as shops would bedeck their windows in pantomime-themed decorations.
Shopkeepers enthusiastically embraced the festivities by donning costumes and setting up stalls outside their shops, enticing approximately 10,000 Christmas enthusiasts to the neighborhood.
Locals have been left “heartbroken” over the decision not to continue the “unique” celebration. Krupali Tailor, who has lived in Pinner for 20 years, spoke about her fears that the neighbourhood is losing its community spirit.
She told The Sun: “I just feel like we are losing a bit of community spirit. Christmas time before on this street used to be buzzing. A lot of the shops have closed down which doesn’t help.
“It is beautiful here, they [TV production companies] do a lot of filming here. [Shops] used to do very well off of our Pinner panto evening because [they] stayed open late. It’s a shame we don’t have that anymore.”
Marcia Michael – who runs a local charity shop – added: “Honestly it has lost its Christmas sparkle because we used to have a panto evening and we don’t have that anymore, it never came back from Covid. We don’t get tourists.
“All the shops would be open late [on the panto night] and give out mulled wine, it would bring business to the street and the kids would be doing their carol service and the mayor would light up the street. It’s gone now. Covid killed that. This street was lovely on that last Thursday of November, and it is gone. Covid did kill it and it never came back.”
Commenting on the cancellation of the Pinner Pantomime, the organising committee’s chair expressed regret, stating, “It is with regret that the Pinner Pantomime Committee has decided to discontinue the tradition in November. The decision was reached after considering the current situation and consulting with other local organisations.
“Factors influencing this decision include the increasing costs and obligations associated with running the event annually, the particular challenges faced during the last event in 2019, retiring members of the organising committee, and the absence of other organisations willing to take on the responsibility going forward.”
