of the bad weather. Boardmasters, a surfing and music festival in Cornwall, was the first to be cancelled when organisers blamed “severe weather conditions”.

Some people had travelled from as far as the US to attend the event, but only found out about the cancellation late on Tuesday. The event was expected to draw 50,000 people, and featured bands including the Wu-Tang Clan.

A second music festival, Houghton, in Norfolk, was called off the following day after the weather dramatically worsened the already waterlogged site.

Organisers of Bristol’s international balloon fiesta scaled back the event, including cancelling Friday’s mass ascent.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Boardmasters box office at Fistral Beach, Newquay, remains closed. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian

Several weekend LGBT+ Pride events, including in Chester, Milton Keynes and Plymouth, were postponed for reasonsof safety. Organisers for all three said they were working to rearrange the events.

The first day of Blackpool air show on Saturday was cancelled when afternoon winds of 45mph were forecast. “The safety of the pilots and the watching public is paramount,” a spokesman said, adding that Sunday’s events were still scheduled to go ahead.

The nearby St Anne’s international kite festival was also cancelled.

The London wildlife festival, scheduled on Saturday and Sunday at Walthamstow Wetlands, was cancelled after winds of 40mph were forecast. Organisers said they were unable to “proceed safely” but promised to refund tickets.

On Saturday, Nantwich antiques market in Cheshire was cancelled due to the weather warning for strong winds.

At the National Eisteddfod of Wales, organisers of the week-long cultural festival closed part of the event