Boomtown festival cancelled over Covid insurance fears after 70,000 tickets sold as organisers say they are ‘devastated’
BOOMTOWN festival has today been cancelled over coronavirus insurance fears after 70,000 tickets were sold.
Organisers of the popular event, near Winchester, Hants, said they are “absolutely devastated” to announce the “heartbreaking news” this morning.
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A lengthy post on Instagram revealed owners are concerned there is no Covid-specific cancellation insurance for events – adding there is “no safety net to support” them if the event was to be cancelled.
The festival claims it would be gambling up to an “eight-figure loss” if the event was not able to go ahead.
The five-day event, whose previous headliners included Madness and with Wu-Tang Clan set for last year's axed festival, sold out in February.
Boomtown today said the festival will now take place in August next year – leaving fans devastated.
One joked: “At this point I'm gonna be rocking up to the next Boomtown year 2080 in me wheelchair.”
Another added: “Is this a bad dream that I’ve still not woken up to?”
BOOMTOWN CANCELLED
Summer festivals were cancelled last year due to coronavirus restrictions, but this year organisers are more optimistic thanks to the success of the vaccination programme and a decrease in Covid cases and deaths.
Huge festivals such as Reading and Leeds, Parklife, the Isle of Wight Festival, Camp Bestival and Creamfields will all go ahead this year.
Boomtown said today: “We are absolutely devastated to bring another round of heartbreaking news to you all almost exactly a year from an identical announcement.
“Unfortunately, we will no longer be holding Boomtown Chapter One: The Gathering this year and it will now take place from 10 - 14th August 2022.
“Unfortunately, time has run out for us to be able to proceed in a way that would live up to our high safety and production standards for the event we had planned.
"Critically, with less than four months to go and after almost half a year of collective campaigning to the government, Covid specific cancellation insurance for events simply does not exist at this point in time and therefore there’s no safety net to support us through the next stages.
“This means we would be gambling up to an eight-figure loss should the event not be able to go ahead due to Covid restrictions, which would put the future of the festival at serious risk.
Which festivals are going ahead this year?
Summer festivals were cancelled last year due to coronavirus restrictions, but this year organisers are more optimistic thanks to the success of the vaccination programme and a decrease in Covid cases and deaths.
Some events such as Boomtown Festival and Riverside Festival have been cancelled because of insurance fears, but others are still going ahead.
ALL POINTS EAST
The festival in Victoria Park, London, usually takes place in May, but has been moved to August 27-29.
BIG FEASTIVAL
Big Feastival in Kingham, Oxfordshire, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. It will take place from August 27 to August 29.
BIG WEEKEND
The event will be online this year, from May 28 to May 31.
BLOODSTOCK
The heavy metal festival in Catton Park, Derbyshire, will take place from August 11 to August 15.
CAMP BESTIVAL
The family-friendly festival in Lulworth Castle, Dorset, announced its return this summer, from July 29 to August 1.
CREAMFIELDS
The dance music festival in Daresbury, Cheshire, sold out in February. It is scheduled for August 26-29.
DEER SHED FESTIVAL
Deer Shed Festival in Baldersby Park, North Yorkshire, will take place from July 20 to August 1.
END OF THE ROAD
End Of The Road will be held in Larmer Tree Gardens, Wiltshire, from September 2 to September 5.
GLASTONBURY
The festival, usually attended by nearly 200,000 fans, is set to be held online in May this year. Organisers have submitted an application for a smaller event for September, but this has not been confirmed yet.
THE GREAT ESCAPE
The Great Escape will take place online on May 13 and May 14. Organisers hope the event will return in full in May 2022.
ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL
The festival in Seaclose Park, Newport, was originally scheduled for June, but it has been moved to September 16-19.
KENDAL CALLING
The festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary this summer, is set to go ahead from July 29 to August 1.
LATITUDE
Latitude is set to go ahead from July 22 to July 25, but it is still subject to confirmation.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WEEKENDER
The event in Victoria Park, Warrington, is planned for September 3-5.
NOISILY FESTIVAL
The underground music festival in Coney Woods, Leicestershire, is currently planned for July 8 to July 12.
NOZSTOCK: THE HIDDEN VALLEY
The festival in Rowden Paddocks, Herefordshire, is scheduled for July 22-25.
ONE IN THE WOODS
The brand new festival in Orrell Hill Wood, Liverpool, has been planned for July 17 and July 18.
PARKLIFE
Parklife in Heaton Park, Manchester, is taking place on September 11-12.
PROMS
The BBC Proms will be held between July 30 and September 11, with a mixture of in-person concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and some online events.
READING & LEEDS
The Reading & Leeds festival will be held at Little John's Farm and Bramham Park on August 27-29.
REWIND FESTIVAL
The festival will take place at multiple locations throughout August.
SLAM DUNK
Slam Dunk will be held at Temple Newsam and Hatfield Park, Leeds, on September 4 and September 5.
SOLFEST
Solfest will take place on the Solway Coast, Cumbria, on August 27-29.
SPLENDOUR IN NOTTINGHAM
The event in Wollaton Park, Nottingham, is set to go ahead on July 24.
STANDON CALLING
The independent festival in Standon, Hertfordshire, will take place from July 22 to July 25.
SUNDOWN
Sundown in Norfolk Showground, Norwich, is scheduled for September 3-5.
TRNSMT
The Scottish festival in Glasgow Green was originally scheduled for late July but has been moved to September 10-12.
TRUCK FESTIVAL
Oxford's Truck festival has been scheduled for July 23-25.
VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL
The Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and is set to take place in Southsea, Portsmouth, on August 27-29.
WIRELESS FESTIVAL
Wireless was due to take place in July but has been rescheduled for September 10 to September 12. It will be held in Crystal Palace Park, London.
WOMAD
The festival is set to take place in Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, from July 22 to July 25.
Some events, such as Lytham Festival, have been postponed to 2022.
Others, such as the Notting Hill Carnival and Y Not Festival, are still to be confirmed.
“Tickets for 2021 will automatically roll over to the 2022 event and refunds will be available to those who wish.
“We’re truly devastated to not be able to come together to celebrate this summer, and we know how hard this will be for the thousands of you who have supported us and kept the faith that we could collectively reunite in the beautiful fields this year.
"The resale will go ahead as planned on 1st June, so if you weren’t able to get a ticket this year, then this might be the golden opportunity to get your hands on a ticket to come and join us when we get to reset the clock to Chapter One and are all finally able to dance together once more in August 2022."
Music insurance broker Tim Thornhill has warned more events risk to be cancelled this year if the Government does not step in with a plan to provide insurance.
Another event which has also been cancelled due to insurance fears is Charlbury’s Riverside Festival in Oxfordshire.
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Festival director Andy Pickard said: "In these uncertain times, not only is the safety of our audience and the local community a top priority, but obtaining insurance is a huge problem for us.
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"There was no Covid insurance flying about, that’s the main issue."
Last month, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said a "discussion about the insurance point" can be had once it is certain that mass events, such as festivals, can actually go ahead.
