Way forward for UK festivals wanting ‘grave’ if 2021 sees cancellations (Image: Getty)
The way forward for UK music festivals is being thrown into doubt, as organisers have gotten more and more apprehensive over the 2021 season being cancelled as a result of coronavirus pandemic.
2020 noticed festival-goers compelled to go with out their regular summer season repair, as much-loved festivals, together with Glastonbury’s fiftieth anniversary competition, were cancelled due to the virus.
Stay music occasions internet hosting giant crowds have been prohibited as a way to management the unfold of Covid-19 and with the variety of instances persevering with to rise throughout England, there are worries festivals may face the identical destiny this summer season.
In the event that they do, competition founders have harassed that the longer term seems to be ‘grave’ for upcoming seasons.
Parklife, that takes place yearly in Manchester, has already been booked for September 2021, with greater than 250 artists and suppliers already snapped up.
Nonetheless, the competition’s co-founder Sacha Lord has mentioned there can be ‘critical issues’ if it may possibly’t go forward.
The pandemic put a halt to Glastonbury’s fiftieth anniversary competition (Image: Rex)
Talking to MPs as a part of the Digital, Tradition, Media and Sport Committee’s wanting into how the federal government can assist festivals this summer season, Lord mentioned: ‘If we’ve acquired one other 12 months like 2020, we’ve acquired critical issues.’
Lord insisted that mass testing and vaccinations are ‘the one means ahead’ to make sure festivals can happen, as he defined: ‘Social distancing doesn’t work at any of those occasions. It’s a competition.
‘You simply can’t put social distancing in place, so we’re anticipating that we’ll be working at 100%.’
Parklife was cancelled in 2020 (Image: WireImage)
Boomtown Honest’s communications and technique director Anna Wade added that music occasions may find yourself in ‘completely dire straits’ financially if Covid-19 restrictions are nonetheless in place by the summer season.
‘We have been completely decimated,’ she mentioned of Boomtown compelled to cancel in 2020.
‘We have been first to essentially shut down and can most likely be one of many final to re-open as properly,’ she added, as she referred to as for the federal government to supply festivals with monetary assist.
The most recent feedback come as Mel B freaked out followers by claiming Glastonbury 2021 was cancelled.
‘I do know that Glastonbury’s been cancelled so lots of massive stage performances are form of are on maintain once more this 12 months. Which is unhappy however we’ve acquired to get this virus beneath management, I assume,’ Mel mentioned throughout an interview on BBC Radio 5 Stay.
Emily Eavis was fast to close down Mel’s claims after involved festival-goers reached out to her on Twitter.
Insisting that the destiny of Glastonbury 2021 continues to be hanging within the stability, Emily tweeted: ‘Nope, no information this finish. Will let proper right here as quickly as there’s information.’
