Winter Festival put on ice due to coronavirus
Oban Winter Festival committee has confirmed that the 2020 event will not go ahead as planned due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The popular 10-day event, which usually takes place at the end of November, would have been celebrating its 10th anniversary this year but has been put on ice because of the uncertainty surrounding the current pandemic.
A statement sent out recently confirmed: ‘The committee feels that planning events and engaging user groups cannot be done at this time as both are vulnerable to unknown risk levels.
‘We sincerely hope to be able to mark the festival dates in some creative format as 2020 would have been our 10th year celebrations, so watch this space. We would like to thank everyone for their great support and input over the years.’
Speaking on behalf of Oban Winter Festival Committee, Louis Barrow said: ‘I’m sure the whole Oban community will be disappointed that we’ve had to cancel almost all our Winter Festival events.
‘Without knowing about risk levels it would be negligent to press ahead with the funding and organising of venues and groups.’
As the Winter Festival has grown, so has the reputation of its markets for showcasing the best produce in Argyll and the West Highlands, while children in the area also enjoy getting involved. Bearing that in mind, the committee are looking to work with as many parties as possible to ensure there is something to look forward to during the winter months.
‘We are especially keen to support Oban and Lorn’s local producers and creators and we’ll endeavour, along with other Oban organisations to help with marketing and awareness of our area’s homegrown products and services,’ added Louis.
‘As we expect schools to be open as normal, we’re hoping to run our art competitions and hopefully create other limited activities based around outdoor or window displays.
‘Should the risks subside we’d hope to catch up with some live events next spring and hope for a full return to normal, for what will now be our 10th Oban Winter Festival in November 2021. Please watch this space for updated info and hopefully some kind of creative outdoor-based celebration towards the end of November. Who knows!
‘We’d like to thank all the wonderful creators, charities, shopkeepers and the excellent venues who have helped to build our Winter Festival over the last nine years - and rest-assured the committee will strive to upgrade the festival’s resilience to secure events for next year.’
Bid4Oban have also confirmed that the 2020 Reindeer Parade, taking place within the Winter Festival, will no longer take place.