Bluesfest Responds To Cancellation Concerns: 'We Are Not Confident'
"As the clusters begin to pop up in more places and continue to grow exponentially, a reschedule of our October event is becoming ever more likely."
Bluesfest has responded to concerns about whether their upcoming event will proceed this October in a letter to ticket holders today.
The much-loved Byron Bay event is set to make its return from October 1 - 4 at Byron Events Farm (formerly Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm) following its last minute cancellation over the Easter long weekend due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Byron Bay, but questions have been raised as to whether the event will once again be postponed due to NSW's most recent COVID-19 outbreak.
"You may be wondering why we haven't yet made a call... Some of you may even be thinking that the solution is simple, and therefore think... 'why hold out on an announcement any longer?!'," read the letter from organisers entitled What Is It Going To Take?
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. However, we understand your desire for answers. So, we write to you this week with transparency, as we always endeavour to keep you as informed as possible.
"The COVID-situation in NSW is at large, once again. This time with a strain that has increasingly been more difficult for State Governments to contain. And as the clusters begin to pop up in more places and continue to grow exponentially, a reschedule of our October event is becoming ever more likely.
"But, what does it take to firstly know that we can achieve a reschedule, have the resources necessary to do so, and then publicly announce this? To put it simply, A LOT. We value you and all of the support you have given us.
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"We know you're hungry for a festival and for live music - nothing can replace it... and the last thing we want to do is reschedule. However with the current situation, we are not confident that we can deliver a safe and successful event in October - and, in the end, that's the bottom line. We're not giving up - we want to put on Bluesfest SO BAD! But we cannot until we know that we can achieve this at a standard worth presenting.
"We said it last week, and we'll say it again - we do not want anyone to experience a repeat of what happened earlier this year. So, please know that we are working tirelessly towards the future and an announcement is imminent.
"Till then, stay tuned, stay informed - and keep believing in the return of live music."
The statement comes just a day after Bluesfest shared a report revealing the "catastrophic" financial impact of the 2021 event cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivered by Reuben Lawrence Consulting, the report shared that the event's last minute cancellation this Easter resulted in an estimated $181.2M loss for the economy, as well as an impact on 897 full-time jobs.
“We were heartbroken when we first got cancelled in 2020, but the last-minute cancellation in 2021 was catastrophic," said Bluesfest director Peter Noble OAM of the results.
“We lost so much when Bluesfest was cancelled less than 24 hours out by NSW Public Health Order. Our entire industry was traumatised, yet we picked up the pieces, put ourselves back together, paid our bills, including significant payments to the cancelled artists and still delivered major numbers to the economy of New South Wales in economic output and job creation."
Read the full story here.
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