COUNTRY THUNDER SILENCED
Music festival postponed this year
With the ban on large public gatherings remaining in place across the province for the foreseeable future, Country Thunder has pulled the plug on its Saskatchewan festival this summer.
The event, scheduled to take place from July 9-12, included headliners Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Dan & Shay and Clint Black.
Gerry Krochuk, director of marketing and media relations for Country Thunder, said they waited this long to make the announcement out of hope that the festival would still be able to happen.
“We were still hopeful, but as the dates get closer and closer, we’re seeing what’s happening to any event where there’s large gatherings of people,” said Krochuk.
“We just kind of couldn’t wait any longer to let people know, despite the fact that we’re making plans to reschedule and rebook and come out with an announcement for 2021.”
Phase 3 of the Re-open Saskatchewan plan, which takes effect on June 8, increases the gathering limit to 15 people inside and 30 people outside — still a far cry from the thousands of people the festival attracts each year. No dates have yet been set for Phases 4 and 5.
Country Thunder’s Arizona, Iowa and Florida festivals were postponed until the fall, but with Saskatchewan weather being less welcoming in those months, Krochuk said that wasn’t possible. Alberta’s
festival was also postponed until next year.
Any tickets already purchased for 2020 will be automatically honoured for the rescheduled 2021 dates, according to a news release sent out on Tuesday. Krochuk said refunds will also be an option. More information is expected to be sent to ticket holders on June 12.
“We understand fully that it’s hard to plan 14 months in advance,” he said.
Next year’s festival is slated for July 8-11 and the lineup is expected to be announced on June 12, although Krochuk said organizers are trying to secure the same headliners as had been announced for this year.
While Krochuk said he did not know exactly how many tickets had been sold for the 2020 show, he noted it was a “very strong year” and that people had been excited about the lineup.
“The goal just becomes to come back bigger and better next year, so I guess it’s our job now to prove that good things will come to those who wait,” he said.
“We’re working really hard on securing a lot of the artists that people had been looking so forward to.”
Krochuk said having to postpone its seven shows across North America was “a challenge,” but that losing the revenue from some shows this year would not hurt the company’s ability to continue their shows in the future.