Announcement - Swaledale Festival 2020 Cancelled

It is with heavy hearts that, reluctantly, we have been forced to cancel this year’s Festival. Our first responsibility is to keep our Festival goers, volunteers, staff and artists safe. Following government guidelines on social contact, we feel cancellation is the only responsible approach.

Swaledale Festival brings thousands of people together in celebration – something we have been doing for nearly 50 years. We are deeply saddened that we will not be able to do this in 2020. Thank you to all the staff, artists, volunteers, supporters and funders who have done so much for the Festival already, and to our audiences who, like us, were looking forward to this year’s Festival.

As you know, we are a small charity whose income is derived entirely from our annual event. We have already spent substantial sums on this year’s Festival . We are now in a potentially precarious financial situation. We would therefore like to ask you to consider donating some, or all, of the ticket money you have paid to the Festival, rather than seeking a refund.

We will be in touch in the next few days with details about how refunds will be available but, knowing how loyal and supportive our Festival goers are, we would really appreciate your generosity at this very difficult time. In the meantime, stay safe, look after your neighbours and keep in touch.

Swaledale Festival Board