New Year's Eve celebrations are teetering on the edge amid fears of rising Covid cases.

Organisers are pondering whether to go ahead with events with some venues already pulling the plug.

Cans 'N' Cocktails boss Andre Smith decided to ditch plans for December 31 as infections spiked.

He said: “We have decided to close. There is way too much uncertainty surrounding Covid and restrictions, it seems like too much increased staff costs and too much potential for hassle.”

And the landlords at Gibraltar Gardens, situated next to the river Wensum, have also been forced to make the tough decision to pull their celebrations.

But Jason and Julia Carter assured punters the event is postponed rather than cancelled.

Jason said: "It is with much regret that our New Year’s Eve party will not be going ahead this Friday.

"Myself and my wife are still testing positive for Covid and every member of staff is also in the same boat."

But after missing out last year some city folk remain determined to have a ball on Friday night.

Emma and Mark Thorogood plan to have a party with their friends and family to ring in the new year and celebrate Mark’s 41st birthday.

Emma said: “We were unable to celebrate last year because of restrictions, so we are going to celebrate this year come hell or high water.

%image(15618540, type="article-full", alt="Emma and Mark Thorogood will be partying come "hell or high water."")

“I have stuck to the rules throughout this pandemic, I’m just not too nervous about this new variation because it doesn’t appear to be as deadly, especially for the vaccinated.

“I also feel less inclined to follow the rules since it has become apparent that they only apply to the general population, not the ones in charge.”

Lucy Short is a performer in the city and feels lucky to have a gig for the big night.

%image(15618542, type="article-full", alt="Lucy Short will be performing the evening of New Years Eve.")

She said: “As performers, we are pretty exposed, but I think we need to make sure we are still living our lives, this could be around for years, we just need to adapt to make people comfortable.”