Covid: Download Festival cancelled for second year
- Published
This year's Download Festival has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers have confirmed.
The rock and metal event had been due to take place from 4 to 6 June, headlined by Kiss, Biffy Clyro and System of a Down.
Festival bosses said they had concluded it was "not possible" to make the event happen.
Ticket holders have been told they can retain their spots for next year or receive a refund.
The event had been due to start a few weeks before the government's 21 June target date to remove all legal limits on social contact.
Last year the festival was also called off due to the pandemic, in what would have been the 40th anniversary of its original incarnation, Monsters of Rock.
We’re sorry to announce that Download 2021 will no longer be taking place. Please read the full statement below.
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) March 1, 2021
Download will return stronger than ever 10th - 12th June 2022 with headliners @kiss, @IronMaiden and @BiffyClyro. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/eQ3xb0Djke
In a statement, organisers said the decision to cancel this year's event came "following the announcement of the government's roadmap and despite the extraordinary efforts the NHS have put in to roll out the vaccine".
They said the festival "will return stronger than ever" in 2022, with Biffy Clyro, Iron Maiden and Kiss already confirmed as headliners.
On the weekend of last year's cancelled event, fans were encouraged to pitch tents in their gardens and share pictures while watching archive interviews and performances.
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are continuing to be felt across the live music industry.
In January, Glastonbury confirmed it would not return until 2022, though a number of other festivals say they are hopeful of being able to host events later in the year.
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