The cancelled King’s Lynn Festival will be replaced with a smaller-scale event in October.

Organisers cancelled the 70th festival, due to have been staged from July 19 - August 1, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The event is one of a string of summer events to fall victim to the virus, including Festival Too and the Sandringham Flower Show.

Subscribe to our daily coronavirus newsletter, with all the latest from where you liveNow events are being planned around the weekend of October 10 - 11 and on other dates during the following weeks creating a “festival season”.

Festival chairman Alison Croose said: “We are putting together a curtailed programme which we hope will feature some of the big names who were due to appear in Lynn in July.

“But, clearly, we are having to work on an all being well basis assuming there are no major setbacks in the coronavirus crisis.

“It is obviously very disappointing that the 70th festival, which we have been planning since May 2019, will not now happen. But it is only one of many significant events which are victims of this national crisis.”

MORE - Packed programme announced for King’s Lynn FestivalMrs Croose said talks were in place with to pianist and festival vice-president Freddy Kempf, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon and harpist to the Prince of Wales Alis Huws. The Scottish fiddle group Blazin’ Fiddles are due to appear at St George’s Guildhall on November 20.

“We have spoken to our sponsors and much appreciate their on-going support for our plans and that they are happy to continue to back us financially,” she said.

“While our sponsors are prepared to support our plans the loss of box office income from a packed programme of events at a two-week July festival will have a financial impact on the organisation.”

Other musicians and artists who were due to have been part of the 70th festival will be invited to take part in the festival in July 2021.

The programme for the October weekend will be announced later in the summer.