For the first time in 12 years, NSW's Strawberry Fields festival will not be going ahead.
The Tocumwal event, which usually takes place in late November, has been called off for 2020 and postponed until next year due to the ongoing COVID restrictions.
“After much discussion, we believe this is in the best interests of our fans, our staff, the local community and all the emergency services who support this event," festival director Tara Medina said in a statement today.
"Although we hope the current situation in Victoria improves dramatically in coming months, at the moment it feels inappropriate to consider bringing thousands of people to the region from primarily Melbourne & Sydney.
"We want to respect the space, health & wellbeing of the Berrigan Shire as well as the time of local emergency services who are already so busy fighting the pandemic day to day.
"Normally our event is announced, and tickets sold out by this time of year. We really waited until the eleventh hour to see if we could work something out – even with a drastically reduced capacity – but we have to come to terms with the reality that it will not be possible until 2021.
"Despite the heartbreak, we are seeing this as an important time to reset. Our industry is called 'creative' for a reason – if there is anyone who will look for ways to adapt and move forward so that we can continue to inspire & share culture, it’s us.”
Strawberry Fields has hosted a stack of local and international talent over the years, including Sampa The Great, Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project and Honey Dijon.
Registrations for Strawberry Fields 2021 are open now. Click here for more details.
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