Truck Festival has announced the cancellation of its 2021 edition, citing an ongoing lack of “assurances and guidance” from the government.
The Oxfordshire festival was set to take place from July 23-25, but it now follows Kendal Calling in ditching plans for 2021 after the government failed to back up an insurance scheme for live events.
“We are absolutely devastated to confirm that Truck Festival will not be able to take place again this year,” said organisers.
“We’ve explored every possible avenue to make Truck happen this year. Unfortunately, with the delay to the roadmap and without the necessary assurances and guidance from the Government, it’s become too risky for us to put the event on and deliver the high standard that you know, love and greatly deserve.”
Bombay Bicycle Club, IDLES, The Kooks, Royal Blood and Blossoms were due to perform at the event, alongside DMA’S, Fontaines DC, Pale Waves, Sundara Karma and Circa Waves.
Ticket holders are encouraged to hold back their tickets until next year’s event.
We are absolutely devastated to confirm that Truck Festival will not be able to take place again this year.
Read the full statement here and FAQ’s https://t.co/tfGmTWFQng pic.twitter.com/XXYe0VqRj7
— Truck Festival (@TruckFestival) June 22, 2021
While Truck Festival criticised the government for a lack of “assurances and guidance”, Kendal Calling went even further yesterday and said their decision to pull the event was “Heartbreaking. Infuriating”.
Earlier today (June 22), experts also told NME how the government is “pushing live music off a cliff-edge” and endangering the future of the industry by failing to publish the results of recent COVID event pilots or providing festivals with insurance.
Two major UK festivals did take place over the weekend, with Download Festival holding a test pilot event and Bigfoot putting on a socially distanced festival.
Latitude Festival, which is due to take place from July 22-25, is also aiming to go ahead as planned next month.
“While I was disappointed in the immediate aftermath of the statement [delaying the June 21 ‘freedom day’], on reflection, I think it actually gives much more certainty of Latitude being able happen than if he had loosened things on Monday [June 21] because the country will have strangled the variant’s ability to spread to a greater degree through increased vaccination than if we had opened fully this coming Monday,” organiser Melvin Benn said in a statement last week.
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