Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso cancelled

The ongoing cancellation of large scale summer events because of COVID-19 continued Wednesday with the announcement that the 2020 Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso will not be taking place this summer.

Originally scheduled for July 23 to 26, the long-running event named after the Canadian folk icon whose family came from Canso joins the Halifax Jazz Festival, Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo and Antigonish Highland Games on the list of popular annual events which have opted to cancel for the health and safety of attendees, artists, staff and volunteers.

“We have been constantly monitoring data and hoping for clarity on how long isolation measures will be in effect,” said Stanfest founder and producer Troy Greencorn in a statement on Wednesday. “It is now apparent that restrictions on gatherings will persist throughout the spring and summer, and possibly into the fall.

“There is no way we will go from home-based isolation to large events with thousands gathered. It’s looking more and more like large events like ours won’t be able to proceed until a vaccine is in place.”

Like the Halifax Jazz Festival, organizers at Stanfest have switched to working on plans for next year’s event, which in the case of the popular Canso gathering will be it’s 25th anniversary edition. They are also looking at ways to present artists through an online platform in the meantime.

With the ongoing difficulty in determining exactly when it will be safe and reasonable for people to gather together as an audience again, Greencorn said that it is necessary to have federal and provincial mandates to cancel large summer events to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

“It just isn’t practical to plan for gatherings of thousands of festival goers at this time. Summer events are being canceled clear across Canada,” said the veteran arts administrator, who cited the risks of holding a large scale event at this time where thousands of attendees are camping together in close quarters as well as sharing spaces at stages around the Canso festival site.

“It will be impossible to meet the public expectation for disinfection and hygiene. Canso is a community of under 1,000 residents and we feel we’d be taking unreasonable risk to invite thousands of visitors into the community, even if the event was permitted to proceed. There are just too many risks and too much uncertainty.”

Ticket holders for the 2020 Stan Rogers Folk Festival can visit www.stanfest.com for information on refunds, exchanges for next year and donations to the award-winning event. Greencorn also reminds Stanfest supporters to keep an eye on its social media channels for further word on future streaming musical presentations.

“We have been amazed at the way the world has turned to online music at an unprecedented level for comfort and entertainment during this period of self-isolation,” he said. “When we come through this — and we will — it seems certain that audiences will have grown and be eager to experience live music again.

“We are exploring ways that Stanfest can join the movement and bring our audience and community together virtually until we can gather again in person. Stay tuned.”