The Hamilton Fringe Festival has been cancelled amid COVID-19
- Michael Kras
- 07 Apr 2020
In a move that’s as sad as it is unsurprising, one of Hamilton’s largest annual arts festivals has just announced that it will be cancelling all of this year’s public events and activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hamilton Fringe Festival, a local summer staple for 17 years, is one of the city’s premier arts events showcasing independent theatre, comedy, dance, music, and performance art by local, national, and international artists. Every year for a full 11 days in July, over 50 thrilling performances hit the stage at venues all across the city.
This is the first year the Fringe will not be happening in Hamilton since 2005.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, the Hamilton Fringe Festival is saddened to announce the cancellation of this year's in-person festival activities and events.
Full statement: https://t.co/ANWKisRgGZ
Media: https://t.co/4OfyI0HnYI
#hamfringe #hamarts #hamont @fringefests pic.twitter.com/Ci5FbOtkrW— HFTco (@HamFringeHFTco) April 7, 2020
Even though the festival itself wouldn’t have been set to take over the city until later in the summer, the team at the Hamilton Fringe expressed in a statement that many of the concerns are much more immediate.
“It has become clear in recent days that there is no longer a reasonable expectation for the public health situation to be meaningfully resolved in time for our artists and our staff to adequately plan and prepare for the Festival,” explained the Hamilton Fringe in their announcement.
“With no certainty as to when social distancing practices, physical isolation measures, and restrictions on public gatherings will be lifted, artists are unable to rehearse; our performance venues are closed indefinitely; and attending live public performances may well still be prohibited by summer.”
The cancellation of this year’s festival is undoubtedly a heartbreaker, bringing an end to the performances being planned by hundreds of independent artists; some of whom rely on touring their shows around the international Fringe Festival circuit every summer to earn a considerable amount of their annual income.
That said, with so much uncertainty in the air about the COVID-19 pandemic and no clear end in sight for the current restrictions on public gatherings, the painful decision to cancel the 17th annual Hamilton Fringe was ultimately the right one.
As an organization championing the arts and community engagement, the Fringe is also looking for ways to continue supporting artists and the Hamilton community alike during these distressing times.
“We will be providing ongoing updates via our social media channels on local performance opportunities, artist relief and supports, and Hamilton Fringe news,” said the Hamilton Fringe Festival.
“In this time of uncertainty, we will continue to look for ways to support the local community and artists.”
Lead image courtesy of @hamontfringe
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