Gloucestershire festivalgoers hoping to head to Witcombe Cider Festival this August bank holiday will be disappointed to hear that the event has been cancelled.
The festival, due to be taking place from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August 2020, was cancelled by organisers following a safety advisory meeting with Tewkesbury Borough Council.
The meeting, which involved organisers, licensing officials, police, the fire service and environmental health, reviewed plans and provided advice and assistance to run the event safely.
Despite the government allowing outdoor performances to take place from Saturday 11 July 2020, providing they operated at a reduced capacity with social distancing measures and stringent cleaning programmes in place, Witcombe Cider Festival organisers took the decision to cancel this year’s event following the safety meeting with the council.
Head of community services at Tewkesbury Borough Council, Peter Tonge, said: ‘It was the organisers decision and we were informed yesterday.
‘Given the current COVID-19 situation, with a festival of 5,000 plus people camping, there were plans for social distancing, but it would be difficult to control.’
Witcombe Cider Festival is yet to make an official statement regarding the cancellation, but an update released on its website on Monday 1 June 2020 said: ‘Please be assured that in the unfortunate event of a cancellation all tickets will be refunded or rolled over to next year’s festival. The choice is entirely up to you.’
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