Organisers of the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival remain hopeful this year’s event can go ahead – but stressed safety must come first.
With the recent cancellation of Glastonbury and other outdoor gigs, there has been a lot of speculation around the likelihood of any live events taking place this summer.
However, the bosses behind the Highland’s biggest summer concert announced on Facebook today that due to the event’s small scale and adaptability, coupled with the vaccine roll-out, they remain hopeful the show can continue.
Organisers said: “Belladrum has its heart firmly in the the local community and we wanted to take a moment to update you on where we are in regards to staging the festival this summer.
“With the recent cancellation of Glastonbury there has been a lot of speculation around the likelihood of any festivals taking place this summer. Glastonbury’s cancellation while devastating news is not entirely unexpected due to the sheer scale of the event and the timelines involved in producing a festival of this nature.
“Belladrum along with many other UK festivals are considerably smaller in scale, therefore more agile and able to adapt quicker to the fast moving and hopefully improving Covid-19 situation as we move into summer.
“This coupled with the positive news surrounding the ongoing vaccine rollout allows us to remain optimistic in delivering the festival later this year.
“The safety of our audience, staff, artists and local community are our number one priority and we will be working alongside and following all government and local authority guidance as this evolves over the coming months.
“We fully appreciate that with the ever evolving nature of the Covid-19 pandemic there is a chance that Belladrum may not be able to go ahead, however at this moment in time we remain positive and thank you all for your continued support.
“Please keep an eye on our social media pages and website where we will keep you fully updated with any news.”
Emeli Sande, Shed Seven and the Magic Numbers were among the acts that had already been announced for 2020 before it was cancelled.
Belladrum had been held every summer in the Highlands since it started in 2004 before the pandemic hit.