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Slam Dunk Festival has announced it won’t be taking place this year, due to coronavirus.
The festival, which takes place in Hertfordshire and Leeds, was previously pushed back to September in a bid to still go ahead this year.
However a statement from festival boss Ben Ray confirmed: “It is with a heavy heart I have to inform you that Slam Dunk Festival 2020 is postponed to 2021. We hung on to hope for as long as we could but with so many factors against us, we have had to accept the fact that it can’t go ahead.
“We had worked so hard to move it from May to September, and with that we thought we had saved it for you, but sadly the outlook is not any better. We had been waiting for clear guidance on the matter and although this is still yet to come, we see no way that things will be back to normal enough by September.
“Tickets for Slam Dunk Festival 2020 will of course remain valid for Slam Dunk 2021, so please if you can, hold on to them. If not, please contact your ticket provider as your money has always remained safely with them, and they will refund you. There will be a slight rise in ticket prices for 2021 due to increased costs of putting the event on, so it will be worth holding on to them. Refunds will be available until the end of September and also tickets will remain on sale at their current price as an early bird ticket until then.”
The new dates for Slam Dunk 2021 have since been confirmed, with North taking place on May 29 at Temple Newsam, and South on May 30 at Hatfield Park.
Slam Dunk was set to welcome Don Broco and Sum 41 as headliners for 2020, but it remains to be confirmed whether they will appear next year.
This comes after festivals across the UK including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds announced their 2020 cancellations.
It is with a very heavy heart I have to inform you that Slam Dunk Festival 2020 is postponed to 2021. Please read the image or visit https://t.co/BtZWKcsuwa for the full statement from our Festival Director. pic.twitter.com/pVAhYJRGDD
— Slam Dunk Festival (@SlamDunkMusic) May 14, 2020
UK festival organisers have also cast doubt over the prospect of running mass gatherings with social distancing measures in place – as well the chances of any festivals being possible before 2021.
A stark report earlier this week has also warned that independent music festivals in Britain are at risk of collapsing without government support.
A number of UK venues also spoke to NME about their concerns and requirements if socially-distanced indoor gigs were to be allowed, with the Music Venue Trust detailing that a number of safe and financially viable solutions were being discussed.
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