Kendal Calling organisers highlight lack of support from government after cancelling 2021 edition

21 June 2021, 13:11 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

The Lake District's Kendal Calling 2021 festival has been cancelled for a second year, with organisers calling out the UK government over a lack of guidance and support.

Kendal Calling is the latest UK festival to cancel its 2021 edition following the lockdown exit delay announcement last week (14 June).

In a statement posted to socials and the festival site, organisers apologised for the cancellation, and wrote, "Last Monday saw the delay of the so-called ‘Freedom Day’. As Kendal Calling sits outside of this delay we would still be in a strong position to proceed. But Monday also saw a less publicised delay; the release of the long-awaited research from the Event Research Programme (ERP) and with it, crucially, the publication of safety guidance on how we run events."

"Without this safety guidance, there are numerous aspects of the festival we cannot plan, and which could lay us wide open to last minute unforeseen regulations or requirements which could scupper an already built festival," organisers continued. "Capacity or density restrictions, track and trace protocol, testing regime, covid certification – a host of unknown actions required yet potentially requested too late to be implemented. "

They also wrote that while last year's festival postponement was "sad but understandable", the second consecutive postponement is "heart-breaking. Infuriating."

Organisers added, "Our understanding is that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are keen to publish the ERP findings and guidance, but that it now does not fit around No.10’s communications plan. This is insulting to our entire industry, who have been awaiting the results of a pilot event that took place almost 2 months ago to inform our approach to staging events safely this summer."

"This has been a frankly devastating 16 months for our industry," they continued. "If calls for a government-backed insurance scheme had been heeded – as recommended by the DCMS, emulating successful schemes now up and running in other countries – we could have potentially continued to plan and invest in the coming weeks. We take this opportunity to urge the government to re-appraise its approach and to listen to the recommendations of its own reports, as the continued lack of leadership hampers the recovery of our live event industry."