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Festival of Friends has been cancelled

Not that it will come to a surprise to, well, anyone, but the 2020 Festival of Friends in Hamilton’s Gage Park has officially been cancelled amid COVID-19.

In a year where literally every large in-person event has been cancelled or postponed due to health and safety concerns, surely no one was expecting this massive, free outdoor festival – a Hamilton staple for decades – to go forward as planned.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a heartbreaker. Hamilton’s Festival of Friends is one of the few true community experiences that happens annually in the city; an event with local vendors, rides & attractions, live entertainment with an exciting lineup of music acts, and family fun.

Originally scheduled for July 30th to August 1st for what would have been the event’s 45th official year, news of the Festival of Friends’ cancellation was sent out in an announcement on June 30th by the festival’s organizers.

“While it’s hard to fathom a summer in Hamilton without the Festival of Friends, our priority has to be the health and safety of our employees, volunteers, and attendees,” said the festival’s general manager Robert Rakoczy. “We know that this has been a year of firsts for everyone, and we’re all doing our best to look out for each other,”

The impact of the cancellation doesn’t just land on attendees, vendors, artists, and festival staff; it also lands on the local economy, for which the Festival of Friends is known to bring in well over $12 million in stimulus.

But don’t worry, Hamilton: the Festival of Friends has said it plans to return full-force in 2021, provided the world has returned or adjusted to some version of normal and large gatherings are once again safe.

Lead image courtesy of @festoffriends

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