Boomtown have announced they will unfortunately no longer be going ahead with their Boom Village event this summer.
After the main Boomtown Festival was forced to cancel, it was hoped a smaller ‘Boom Village’ event would be able to take place on the same weekend, thanks to a smaller build and a reduced capacity enabling the facilitation of any potential social distancing measures.
However, with the number of Covid cases rising rapidly across the country, the Boomtown crew have taken the heartbreaking decision to cancel this smaller event due to the risks of widespread illness and self-isolation. This could not only impact public safety but result in so many staff and contractors self-isolating they’re unable to build and run the event. Self-isolation rules and app ‘pings’ aren’t due to be relaxed until Monday August 16th, which would have been the day after Boom Village.
As the current plan is to hold a regular Boomtown Festival in 2022, there’s no option to roll over Boom Village tickets and all will be refunded automatically.
In a statement posted online, organisers said: “We are truly sorry to have to say this again, but we have had to make the incredibly hard decision to cancel Boom Village.
“These past few days we have been back in the excruciating position of weighing up every possible scenario to see how we might be able to proceed. There is so much excitement out there for us to come together and host this beautiful festival but sadly the risks of holding the event now outweigh all the wonderful reasons for going ahead.
“The core decision is due to the escalating cases of COVID-19 across the country, and the risks that widespread illness and self-isolation could have on our crew and contractors, which would result in us not having enough people to build and deliver the show to the high public safety standards we uphold.
“When we first came up with the concept of Boom Village we were so excited by the idea of a smaller show where we could trial new sustainable ideas. This was incredibly energising and we leapt into the project of bringing our much-loved festival community back together in a whole new way; with an intimate, locally focused and family-friendly event that put its ethos front and centre.
“We had devised a concept that could have worked in the current climate, despite all the existing issues such as a lack of insurance etc… We were navigating our way through those obstacles, but with the timelines being pushed back, the changes we’ve seen to policy and the national escalation in cases, the odds now feel stacked against us and we are no longer in a position to be able to proceed.
“We appreciate that this decision may be confusing in light of the latest Government announcement relaxing most of the COVID legislation from Monday 19th July. In that announcement it was also stated that the responsibility and ‘common sense’ now lies with the individual or organisation; that is a responsibility we take very seriously. The circumstances we’ve outlined above severely affect our ability to deliver a show where we could guarantee high levels of safety for all in attendance, as there are so many factors outside of our control.
“Whilst cancellation may not be the case for all festivals and we truly hope that many will still be able to continue this summer, as a fully independent festival with a small but highly skilled team and a close-knit extended crew, the rise in cases and isolation pose a real threat that we simply cannot ignore. Unfortunately, we have to accept this and make the best decision for all involved and in attendance, as well as the future of the festival.
“We are truly devastated to not be able to bring Boom Village to you this summer, but now that we’ve dreamed this amazing concept into reality, we hope it will return for you all at some point in the future when the time is right.
“All ticket holders have been contacted directly via email about their automatic refunds – get in touch with boomvillage@boomtownfair.co.uk if you haven’t had yours.
“After much excitement and support from so many, and a huge amount of work from the team, it’s heartbreaking to deliver this message, again. But we are truly grateful for all who have supported us throughout these past 18 months of uncertainty. We will refocus back onto Boomtown 2022 and work towards what will be the most epic celebration next August.
“Thank you as always for being on this journey with us, we really couldn’t do this without you.
“Big love,
Boomtown HQ.
“xxx”
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Image credits: Garry Jones / Boomtown
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