Supercrawl is cancelled for September
Festival organizers still hope to put some free concerts on this fall
Supercrawl, Hamilton’s largest annual music and arts festival, has officially fallen victim to COVID-19.
Supercrawl director Tim Potocic said Tuesday the threeday free festival, which had been scheduled to run Sept. 4 to 6, will not take place this year due to uncertainty regarding the coronavirus.
This year was to be the 12th annual non-profit festival. Last year, organizers estimated Supercrawl drew some 250,000 people to James Street North for three days of music, art, food, fashion and entertainment.
“We spend our year planning a weekend get-together with all of you, so we’re crushed to announce that Supercrawl will not take place this September as scheduled,” Potocic said.
“The safety and well-being of audiences, artists, vendors, staff, volunteers, our neighbours and the wider community is of the utmost importance to us. We continue to keep our eyes on the horizon and look forward to gathering with you all again soon.”
Potocic stressed the festival’s board of directors is confident Supercrawl will be able to return to downtown Hamilton in September 2021.
“We’ve been very careful to position ourselves so that we can come back stronger,” Potocic said. “I’ve already had agents reach out to me (about 2021) so they can route tours our way.”
Festival organizers are still hoping to stage a free concert series this fall, either online or in downtown indoor venues, depending on what government regulations allow.
“We still desperately want to provide some income to artists, income for production and some fantastic experiences to people for free,” Potocic added.