Fairport postpones its iconic Banburyshire festival for a second year - Cropredy is postponed until 2022

The news all folk fans did not want to hear was officially released at 10am today (Monday) - Fairport's Cropredy Convention has been postponed for another year.
By Roseanne Edwards
Published 28th Jun 2021, 10:00 BST
Updated 28th Jun 2021, 10:34 BST
Fairport Convention - l - r, Simon Nicol, Gerry Conway, Ric Sanders, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie who have been forced to postpone their festival until next yearFairport Convention - l - r, Simon Nicol, Gerry Conway, Ric Sanders, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie who have been forced to postpone their festival until next year
Fairport Convention - l - r, Simon Nicol, Gerry Conway, Ric Sanders, Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie who have been forced to postpone their festival until next year

The postponement has been forced on the band and its organisers because of the ongoing restrictions and uncertainty over the Covid pandemic. Festival director Gareth Williams said today it was a choice between paying the costs of going ahead and risking going out of business and postponement and living to 'fight another day'.

The three-day event had been scheduled to take place on August 12 - 14 this year. It will now be staged over the weekend of August 11, 12 and 13, 2022 on its usual farmland site in Cropredy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The organisers hope the current line-up of acts will be carried forward to next year. Artists booked to appear this year have provisionally agreed to transfer their bookings to 2022. Highlights are expected to include Trevor Horn Band, Clannad, Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited, Richard Thompson and host band Fairport Convention.

Festival Director Gareth Williams said: “We’re left with no other choice than to postpone our festival again. We have reached the point where we’d need to spend big money but without any certainty we could go ahead. The dilemma we are facing is simple – proceed and risk potentially going out of business or postpone for a year and live to fight another day."

“So far, despite over six months of lobbying, the government has failed to support any form of Covid-related cancellation insurance scheme for the festival industry. Also, there has been no guidance on what mitigations might be required post Step 4. This has made it effectively impossible to plan this year’s event.

“Like the rest of the festival industry, we’ve tried everything we can to keep going but I’m afraid we would be placing Cropredy’s future in serious jeopardy if we were to go ahead," he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Williams said tickets purchased in 2020 and 2021 will be valid for the rescheduled festival. “Ticket buyers who can’t attend next year will be entitled to a refund but we hope people will hang on to their tickets until next year. This will help us keep the festival going throughout the coming months while we prepare a great weekend of music for next summer," he said.

Related topics:Gareth WilliamsArtistsRichard Thompson