Beyond the Woods 2021: Festival cancelled for second year – BBC News

Organisers of a music festival in Lincolnshire have said “it’s with heavy hearts” that they have called it off for a second year running.

Beyond the Woods was due to take place at Stourton Woods in Horncastle between 6 and 8 August.

Organisers said they had no choice due to uncertainty about restrictions, lack of Covid cancellation insurance and unclear guidance about measures needed.

Tickets had been sold for the 3,000 capacity event.

The decision comes after the government delayed the lifting of all restrictions in England, with a new date set for 19 July.

Organisers said it would return next summer and tickets would remain valid or people could get a refund.

In a statement, they said: “It is with heavy hearts that we have to inform you that, following the postponement of the 21 June easing of lockdown restrictions, Beyond the Woods festival will no longer be taking place this year.

“To say we are gutted is a huge understatement.”

Organisers said they would have had to pay “tens of thousands of pounds in upfront costs” to ensure it could take place “but with no guarantee” that it would be able to go ahead in August without additional restrictions.

They added: “The situation has now changed and the risk for us as an organisation has just become too great.”

Beyond the Woods began life as a birthday party in the back garden of one of the organisers homes in Lincoln.

While the bands and scale of event have got bigger, organisers said it was still the same “small group of friends and volunteers” putting it on.

The statement added: “We’re not multi-millionaires, and there’s no big corporation backing the festival.

“We do this purely for the love of it.”