News / Bristol Harbour Festival
Bristol Harbour Festival cancelled for 2021
Bristol Harbour Festival won’t take place for the second year running as organisers say they are now focusing on curating a “once-in-a-lifetime” event for 2022.
Making the announcement on Wednesday morning, the team behind the festival said it was a difficult decision to make, but that the roadmap out of lockdown doesn’t leave enough time to put together one of the city’s biggest celebrations.
They say they will be focusing instead on making the 50th-anniversary festival in 2022 really special.
is needed now More than ever
It leaves another gap in the city’s annual festivals calendar, with St Paul’s Carnival also not taking place in July.
The government’s roadmap puts June 21 the earliest that large gatherings could take place but a number of smaller-scale events and activities are planned for the summer months, including the return of Breaking Bread on the Downs and Bristol Comedy Garden.
Carly Heath, Bristol’s newly appointed night-time economy advisor, said: “The Harbour Festival is taking a breather this year, but we are still expecting many ticketed events to take place and we will support as many as we possibly can.
“The events sector in Bristol is intrinsically linked to our night-time economy and as we safely emerge from lockdown we know how keen Bristolians are to get back out to enjoy our night time culture.’’
Bristol Harbour Festival usually draws huge crowds to the city – photo by Paul Box
Jon Finch, Bristol City Council’s head of culture and creative industries, said: “The events sector in Bristol is one of the most important parts of the city’s identity, which makes the decision to postpone the Harbour Festival all the harder.
“We are determined to make sure as many safe smaller-scale events are facilitated and supported to take place this year as possible and we are also going to do all we can to make sure that the Harbour Festival will return next year to celebrate its 50th anniversary.”
“The roadmap out of lockdown potentially means a very uncertain time for many of the thousands of events sector workers and festival attendees who live in the city. However we are continuing to support as many events as it can and want to support as many as possible to go ahead this summer.’’
Main photo by Paul Box
Read more: St Paul’s Carnival confirms it will not take place in July 2021
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