Holidays aren’t coming to Milton Keynes - Coca-Cola cancels Christmas truck tour due to Covid-19

Milton Keynes was snubbed for the tour schedule in 2019 and 2018 despite hosting popular events in years previous at ASDA near Stadium:MK.

The huge red truck, made famous in the soft drink giant’s ultra festive TV adverts, has been a regular fixture in MK’s Christmas calendar in the past and attracts hundreds of visitors.

But the Christmas truck tour has unsurprisingly been forced to cancel its annual tour due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions, marking the first time in 10 years that the event will not go ahead.

“Safety of consumers and employees”

The news of the cancellation was posted on the Coca-Cola GB Twitter channel, with fans of the truck expressing their sadness at the loss to the festive calendar.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: “In light of further Covid-19 restrictions announced around the country and in line with Government guidelines, unfortunately, we can’t go ahead with our annual Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour this year.

“We know this will be disappointing for many people, but our priority is the safety of our consumers and employees.

“We look forward to seeing you next year!”

Last year the truck visited more than 40 towns and cities across the country in the run up to Christmas.

The soft drinks brand has, however, promised other festive treats and assured fans that the “fun will never die”, stating there is still “a lot to look forward to”.

A Coca-Cola tradition

The original Coca-Cola Christmas trucks were created for a TV advert in 1995, which featured three of the iconic custom made 18 wheelers.

In 2001, after a string of iconic TV adverts that were broadcast to more than 100 countries, the caravan of trucks started touring the United States, and later came to the UK in 2010.

The effects used on the truck were created by the same company that made the special effects for the Star Wars movies, Industrial Light and Magic.

The festive campaign is a big hit globally, with the hashtag #HolidaysAreComing being tweeted more than 57 million times in 2013.