Major festivals for 2021 canned
PANDEMIC: KLEIN KAROO AMONG BIG EVENTS POSTPONED Cape Town Jazz Festival organisers will bring you a series of online events.
Covid-19 level three lockdown regulations have forced various popular festival organisers to rework their schedules or go into complete postponement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced an extension to the lockdown, which rules out any opportunity for large outdoor or indoor gatherings.
As government rules stand, the curfew is from 9pm to 5pm, with 8pm the closing time for establishments.
The sale and transportation of alcohol is prohibited and so are all social gathering events, which are referred to as superspreader events – meaning music festivals South Africans are used to enjoying in the first quarter of 2021 have been cancelled.
Cape Town Jazz Festival
The popular festival, planned for March, is one such event. Festival director Billy Domingo, posted on the festival’s social media pages that the organisers had taken the difficult decision to postpone the event until further notice.
“The decision to postpone the 2020 Cape Town International Jazz Festival in March was one not taken lightly and made in the best interest of our valued festivalgoers, sponsors and corporate clients,” said Domingo.
Cape Town was identified as a hotspot and organisers did not want to add to the problem of spreading the virus. The festival is known to be a sell-out event that attracts crowds from the continent and abroad.
“The health and safety of everyone involved with the festival is of paramount importance. We trust that our valued sponsors and corporate clients will stand with us in caution and solidarity to play our part in minimising the spread of this virus,” Domingo added.
But all is not lost. The organisers have been working behind the scenes to bring a new series of online events and smaller live jazz throughout 2021.
One of them is JazzFix, which will be formally launched this year.
Klein Karoo Festival
Another popular festival on the art scene is the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, which was due to take place in April but has also been postponed.
The festival, which started in 1995, is held in the town of Oudtshoorn and brings a bevy of art lovers to the town, meaning it is a huge economic booster for the small town.
In a statement released on the postponement, artistic director Hugo Theart said: “Although we are eager to celebrate again in early April 2021 the health risks and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are still worrying factor.”
“Last year’s festivities didn’t take place as the 2020 portion was cancelled just as Covid 19 hit our shores and the country went into immediate Level lockdown.”
Revellers who have pre-purchased tickets have been referred
Refunds
to Computicket for all refunds. Karoo festival ticket refunds will be available as soon as possible, said the festival’s Crispin Sonn.
Festivalgoers are encouraged to keep an eye on social media platforms for updates.