By: Gideon Gottfried
http://photos.boomtownfair.co.uk/
Boomtown Fair last took place in its full beauty in 2019.The 2020 edition had been granted a capacity-increase of 10,000, bringing the total number of expected visitors to 76,000.
One of the UK s most famous indie festivals, Boomtown Fair, today announced the cancelation of the 2021 edition, citing the lack of government-backed insurance as a major factor.
Planning an event as complex as Boomtown Fair, only to be canceled at the eleventh hour, would have incurred eight-figure loss, as promoters pointed out in a statement.
All through the pandemic, live events professionals have been urging the UK government to come up with an insurance scheme that would allow promoters to plan ahead and organize without having to fear possible last-minute cancellations due to Covid restrictions.
By: Gideon Gottfried
LEON NEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his Feb. 22, press conference.Johnson set out a four-step plan to ease coronavirus restrictions, expressing hope that life could get back to normal by the end of June. UK prime minister Boris Johnson has raised the hopes of many Britons, including those working in live events, that they might return to some form of normalcy by summer.
While hardly anyone believes this to mean large-scale festivals will return in 2021 – even though the government s evidence shows that it is safer for people to meet outdoors rather than indoors – it s a start.