Covid-19 / Coronavirus, as we all know, has been at the center of all our lives for the past few weeks, and we at the BBRF have also been discussing this pandemic and its potential impacts on large public events, such as our festival in June. Like many of you, we have been watching the news to try and stay informed with this fluid and evolving situation. Additionally, as a committee, we have been in contact with Alberta Health Services, AGLC and we have engaged in discussions with members of our local administration at the municipal level. As always, it is our intent to ensure we are providing a safe and inclusive environment for the guests of our events.
At this time, we have had to make the incredibly difficult decision to postpone the 2020 BBRF until 2021. Given the ever changing nature of this situation, and the extended timeline for the large gathering ban, we have determined the risk was just too great to proceed with planning and selling tickets for the event in June. While this decision was not easy, the general health and safety of our guests, performers and vendors is our top priority.
As a volunteer based, not-for-profit organization, we rely on fundraisers, grants and the sale of advance tickets to ensure our success each year. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, those things have been cancelled or delayed due to the Covid-19. When you combine that with the uncertainty regarding the forecast for Covid-19 in Alberta, postponing was the most responsible choice we could make, to ensure the ongoing success of the Beaumont Blues and Roots Festival for years to come.
We are excited to announce that the amazing lineup of bands and performers that we had secured for 2020, is currently being confirmed for the 2021 festival. As a lot of effort went into creating the amazing line up for 2020, we are very excited that the acts are able to work with us, and that we are able to provide this opportunity, to secure spots for all these great acts, next year. Given the additional time we now have for planning, promoting and fundraising, we are confident that 2021 will be the biggest BBRF to date, and an amazing celebration of Canadian music!
For those who have already purchased the $99 early bird ticket through our website, you will be receiving a refund in the coming days. For those that purchased one of the charitable donation tickets for $75, we are excited to honor those tickets at the 2021 festival June 18&19, 2021. Please remember that those tickets were sold through not for profit groups as a fundraiser, and those funds have already been allocated within those groups, therefore refunds are not possible on those tickets.
Any questions you might have can be sent by email to questions@bbrf.ca and we will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner.
We encourage everyone to be diligent about their personal precautions in order to help prevent the spread of this illness, and above all, be good to one another. We look forward to seeing you at BBRF 2021!
The Beaumont Blues & Roots Festival Society
