Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Pageant 2021 has been cancelled
WOMAD Pageant 2021 has been cancelled, with founder Peter Gabriel blaming an absence of help from the UK authorities.
“It’s with nice remorse that we’re cancelling WOMAD ’21 at this time. With out the straightforward help of a authorities insurance coverage scheme or the assure of Take a look at Occasion standing, we can not proceed and put WOMAD’s long run future in danger,” Gabriel mentioned.
“We really feel that our viewers, artists, workers, and contractors, who’ve been amazingly supportive all through all this, will perceive the necessity for us to behave to ensure our survival.”
Gabriel had warned earlier this month that this yr’s version of WOMAD may very well be cancelled, until the federal government supplied an insurance coverage program.
“Industrial insurance coverage has run a mile, successfully, and you’ll perceive why,” he informed BBC Radio 4’s In the present day. “So if we’re making an attempt to revive cultural life and normality we want a little bit of assist right here. There’s an excessive amount of uncertainty for many competition promoters to take the danger.”
Following the federal government’s announcement final month that the top of coronavirus-enforced capability restrictions can be delayed till July 19, WOMAD was on account of start simply three days after they had been lifted.
Different festivals together with Truck and Kendall Calling introduced the cancellation of their July occasions earlier this month, following the delay, lack of printed knowledge and common lack of steerage. A brand new survey revealed that half of UK festivals have now been cancelled this yr.
Latitude Pageant and Tramlines Pageant nonetheless, set for a similar weekend as WOMAD’s now-cancelled version, will go forward at full capability as a part of the federal government’s Occasion Analysis Programme (ERP).
A press launch from WOMAD mentioned this “clearly implies that solely authorised take a look at occasions can be protected and assured the suitable to go forward as regular – regardless that this flies within the face of the Prime Minister’s statements.
An announcement from @itspetergabriel and The WOMAD Staff xhttps://t.co/pgHZXBo72N pic.twitter.com/UcXzVLn4kk
— WOMAD UK (@WOMADfestival) June 28, 2021
“It’s the lack of presidency backed insurance coverage together with these actions which have pressured WOMAD to cancel. We now have not been asking for monetary help; all we have now needed is certainty within the type of insurance coverage in opposition to cancellation (that we’d be completely satisfied to pay for).
“We want an understanding of the realities of how our business works and the advantages that we deliver. The business ought to see equal entry to help and a a lot much less opaque approach of deciding who will get assist.”
The assertion went on to criticise the truth that a five-day tenting occasion is about to go forward across the British Formulation 1 Grand Prix
“It does appear a little bit weird {that a} five-day tenting occasion at Silverstone is a danger price taking and unbiased festivals alas are usually not,” the competition’s assertion mentioned. “With 140,000 individuals attending the Silverstone Grand Prix it definitely doesn’t appear to be supported by science – as even Lewis Hamilton has commented.”
Final month, the Affiliation of Unbiased Festivals (AIF) mentioned they’d hit a “brick wall” in talks with the federal government about an insurance coverage program, and issued a “purple alert” after analysis projected that as much as 76 per cent of the remaining festivals in July and August might rapidly cancel if quick motion is just not taken.