Third Covid cancellation for music festival

For the third year running, the sound of music will be missing from Mid Argyll.

Organisers of the popular Mid Argyll Music Festival, traditionally held each March, have made the difficult decision to cancel the event for 2022.

The festival was one of the first local events to call off for reasons of public health, just before the first UK coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March 2020.

It was again cancelled for 2021 as the pandemic continued.

This week a statement from the Mid Argyll Music Festival Committee said: ‘In light of the ongoing issues resulting from the pandemic it is with great regret that the MAMF committee has agreed to cancel the proposed 2022 festival.

‘The committee has been in consultation with the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music Dance and Speech, and many festivals across the UK have been cancelled due to a lack of music tuition in schools caused by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

‘Choirs and brass bands are only now being allowed to re-start rehearsals in limited circumstances and, given that most performers at our festival are school pupils, it was considered unrealistic to plan for next year.

‘The committee remains hopeful that with the success of the vaccination programme across the country we will be in a position to programme our next festival for 2023.’

The festival features entertaining competitions in song, instrumental, verse and choral categories for all ages.