Riverside Festival cancelled over Covid restrictions uncertainty
Nottingham’s annual Riverside Festival, which drew crowds of 220,000 people in 2019, has been cancelled by the city council.
The authority says that uncertainty around Covid restrictions, combined with a lack of event infrastructure (which is being used up by Covid test and vaccination centres), lack of staff and increased costs contributed to the decision.
No alternative date is being planned for 2021. The dates for the 2022 event are set for Friday 5, Saturday 6, and Sunday 7 August.
Mellors Group, the company behind Nottingham Beach, has said they will provide an update about this year’s event once further information from the Government about the easing of restrictions becomes clear.
Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture, and Schools, said: “We were looking forward to bringing the Riverside Festival back for people to enjoy after a difficult year for everyone, so it’s is a terrible shame to have to cancel this well-loved event for a second year.
“We’ve also had to be fair to our performers, traders and suppliers to let them know what is happening. We have to be practical about the time it takes to plan an event of this size, and to be able to properly respond to the latest guidance. While plans were in place for the event to proceed in 2021, the reality of running an event scheduled to take place just three weeks after potential new guidance on 19 July, was just not practicable.
“The impact of large scale events on Covid rates is still being investigated and it is right to remain cautious. We will continue to plan for major events later in the year, which hopefully everyone will be able to enjoy.”
