It is with reluctance that Middlewich Town Council announce the cancellation of this year’s Folk and Boat Festival.
The Covid19 Pandemic has sadly meant that many events planned for this year, both locally and nationally, have been cancelled. The Town Council were very keen to investigate postponement of the event before considering cancellation, however in light of potential social distancing still in place, no certainty that festivals or events, however small can go ahead, and vaccinations likely to still being rolled out, the Council has regrettably taken the decision to cancel this year’s Festival.
The Festival relies on numbers to enable the festival to break even or to make a small profit. While we know that the NHS has made great strides in its vaccination programme, it looks like social distancing will be with us till late 2021. Any restrictions will impact the number of festivalgoers we can welcome, which could leave the council with a massive liability. It is not acceptable to place this burden upon the residents of Middlewich.
The council must also consider the status of the vaccination centre. The SMASH programme at our Civic Hall has so far vaccinated over ten thousand people, but we have a long way to go before the population of Middlewich and the surrounding area is fully vaccinated. Until further notice, the car park is exclusively reserved for the Vaccination Clinic on Clinic days. As a result, Market Field is unavailable until the vaccination centre is decommissioned.
The Council will be supporting all local business’s and hospitality trade and any events they wish to organise provided they comply with the Government regulations in place at the time.
Lisa Benskin, Town Clerk advised “It is a source of sadness for the whole Council to cancel the Folk and Boat Festival for a second year. However, given the likely ongoing restrictions and the important need to prioritise the use of Victoria Hall for vaccinations above all else, it was a necessary decision to take.”
Folk and Boat 30th Festival 2022
We are pleased to announce that the new dates for the Folk and Boat 30th Festival is on 16th, 17th, 18th & 19th June 2022. We are looking forward to welcoming all to Middlewich next year.
Tickets
If you purchased tickets for the Festival, these will be automatically transferred to the new dates 16th – 19th June 2022 and you need take no further action. We look forward to a time when we can come together and celebrate with you all!
We hope that the majority of people will be happy for their tickets to be transferred to the following year, but we do understand that due to the current crisis, people’s financial circumstances may have changed. If you fit into this category and want to receive a refund for your tickets, please email admin@middlewich.org.uk and we will process your request as quickly as possible.
Any queries with respect to this statement should be directed to the Town Clerk on 01606 833434 or by email to clerk@middlewich.org.uk