We are saddened to be writing with the news that we have taken the decision not to go ahead with our spring festival this year.

Whilst we are heartened by the fact that, increasingly, infections from Covid seem to be mild, and that perhaps there is light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, right now there remains a great deal of uncertainty and disruption. It doesn’t seem that the government is going to put further restrictions in place, but we are not ethically comfortable with cramming people into venues whilst Omicron cases are rife, and on the other hand are not in a financial position to put on yet another festival with heavily restricted capacities. Added to all this, of course, there is still considerable unpredictability in how the coming few months will play out, and it’s extremely difficult to plan a festival dependably when isolations, quarantines, and audience confidence levels are ever shifting. Putting on any events during these strange times is extremely challenging, but the multifaceted interwoven nature of our festivals brings an extra layer of logistical and financial complexity!

We apologise unreservedly to the many of you who have kept our festival dates clear in your diaries, and who have booked trips especially. We imagine it goes without saying that we would not be making this difficult decision unless we were convinced it’s the right one.