ORGANISERS of some of the region’s biggest festivals have reacted to Nicola Sturgeon’s skeptical forecast for large-scale events due to take place this summer.
Last week, when the First Minster was asked if she thought music festivals and other large public events will be able to go ahead, she replied: “None of us right now can look ahead and say with certainty what the position will be in the summer.”
Ms Sturgeon said the unpredictability of the pandemic – and the course it will take in the coming months – means there is no certainty that anything will be back to normal by the summertime, adding that organisations “have to be aware of that”.
After cancelling last year, the Doonhame Festival is scheduled to take place at the end July at the Crichton in Dumfries.
Joint festival director, Sandy Sweetman, has taken the acceleration of the vaccine roll-out as a positive indicator that current restrictions could be relaxed in time for the two-day event.
He said staff are “still optimistic that we can go ahead”.
“We will obviously keep a close eye on the guidance and make decisions as time progresses,” he added.
“The FM’s statement related to large scale events. Doonhame Festival, with a maximum capacity of 3000, takes place on a piece of land that can accommodate a huge number more people, allowing us to implement precautions that other larger festivals cannot.
“I think generally everyone is looking forward to the day we can return to some kind of normality as we have missed so much by not being able to socialise in the way we all took so much for granted.”
Sandy said that further cancellations will be “a real blow to people’s metal health and optimism”.
Meanwhile, the team planning Lochmaben’s Rock The Loch have announced the small-scale music festival will not go ahead as planned this year.
In a statement online, they said it was “best to cancel until we are all safe,” adding that any tickets already bought will remain valid for 2022.
Lorraine Stewart, owner of the Crown Hotel where the event is held, said it was “really sad” to break the news, adding: “We feel it is better to make the decision now than leave it until later.”
Not as put-off by the summer’s prognosis, organisers of Springkell Live are pressing on with plans to hold their festival at Eaglesfield at the end of June.
Explaining why, Simon Hewit, promoter and production manager, said that “unravelling or cancelling something which involves many different stakeholders – from musicians to sound and lighting, catering and security” is an “expensive nightmare”.
He added that Nicola Sturgeon’s statement “harms confidence” and “kills remaining ticket sales,” with an added risk that those who have already bought tickets will seek refunds, adding” “All of this undermines the stability of a high-cost, high-risk industry. Even when normality returns, many organisers will decide against taking the risk ever again. Springkell Live is privately financed and this is a situation of unprecedented risk.”
Simon said the “already prepared” festival, will still go ahead even if it means implementing additional safety and compliance measures.
He added that the biggest challenge ahead will be “weathering that storm of doubt that speculation over what can and cannot happen this summer”.
And he remarked that another summer of lost festivals will be “devastating for the live music industry – particularly musicians who haven’t worked for almost a year already”: “For Dumfries and Galloway it will serve a serious blow to all of the small businesses who will benefit from Springkell Live and other events which are scheduled to happen,” he said. “It’s not just the venues or the caterers. It’s the guest houses, hotels, pubs, restaurants and all the other places where people spend their money – particularly those who are travelling into the area. We understand that keeping people safe is of paramount importance, but the economic impact will have a deep and long-lasting effect.”
Meanwhile, organisers of the region’s popular agricultural shows, both Moffat, and Dumfries and Lockerbie, have not yet decided if this year’s events will go ahead.
Dumfries and Lockerbie Show is due to take place at Park Farm, Dumfries, on the first Saturday in August while Moffat Show is normally the last Saturday in August.
