Stone Music Festival cancelled for 2021

Several music festivals both large and small have been pulled for 2021 following uncertainty over whether or not events could go ahead as planned as the country moves out of lockdown.

The Peak District’s YNot Festival, which would have taken place at the end of July and beginning of August, became one of the latest casualties last week following a delay in the final lifting of national restrictions on large gatherings.

And on July 6, Stone Town Council’s tourism and town promotion sub-committee decided not to go ahead with its annual musical event this year.

In March the sub-committee agreed to postpone the July event and consider hosting it later this year, with hopes that it could return in September. But it was also agreed that events in the High Street could not be feasibly arranged until legal limits on social distancing had ended – which at the time was widely anticipated to be June 21.

The final lifting of restrictions has since been put back however and is now not set to be until July 19 at the earliest.

In previous years the free Stone Music Festival has brought live sets from talented local musicians as well as performers from further afield to the High Street.

At the meeting, Councillor Rob Kenney said: “Where we stage the music festival in the Market Square doesn’t have adequate room should we need to consider social distancing.

“Even though we are moving out of lockdown we still have no idea what we are going to have in store in two or three months’ time.”

Sub-committee chairman Councillor Jill Hood said: “With the music festival, to get the calibre of acts we’re used to would be nigh-on impossible with the time we have got left.

“We sadly have to cancel the music festival, which is heart breaking.”