Salisbury City Garden Bar will not be returning this summer

In a short post on Facebook, organisers confirmed the bar will not be taking up its usual spot on the Guildhall Square this year. 

It has been run in previous years by the Immersive Group, and has been accompanied by a mini golf course and other table games, and food stalls run by Charter 1227, In Events Ltd and Nole. 

Dave Hancock, one of the directors from the Immersive Group, told the Journal that Salisbury City Council put a two-year tender for a pop-up bar in the summer and at Christmas - which has previously been Frost Bar, also run by the Immersive Group - but that they chose not to apply for it. 

Dave Hancock

Mr Hancock said: "It was just not financially viable for us. Hospitality is so difficult at the moment, especially in terms of recruitment, and we have decided to pool our resources into our other events in Salisbury". 

This includes the Hixon Chophouse restaurant on the High Street which will have a terrace outside during the summer months, the Laverstock Live Event taking place on Sunday May 26, and a "very lovely event towards the end of the summer that will hopefully be announced next week". 

That is understood to be the Live at the Park event, which Mr Hancock told the Journal would be "bigger and better" this year.  

This includes plans to increase the number of tickets available and more food vendors. 

"We have very big plans", he said, "and we will hopefully have more to announce in the coming weeks, but we will not be bringing back the City Garden Bar."

"As I said hospitality is so difficult in Salisbury at the moment and if we did the Garden Bar again and we had two weekends of rain then our profits are basically gone, so we are not going to be able to do it with everything else we have planned."

There have been no announcements from Salisbury City Council about what may take its place this summer.