Statement on the 2020 Brixham Pirate Festival
Considering the updated government statement and as a response to the rapidly developing COVID-19 coronavirus situation we would like to make the following statement.
It is with a heavy heart and great regret that the Brixham Pirate Committee must announce that the Festival will not now be going ahead on the 2nd,3rd & 4th May 2020.
The committee have been closely following the government advice regarding the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) and, like everyone in the UK, are eager to adhere to whichever stipulations are put in place to ensure we limit the spread, and reduce the number of people impacted by this disease both locally and from further afield.
The Brixham Prate Festival attracts thousands of people from all over the country and overseas. Listening to advice from the government which predicts the peak of the outbreak is likely to be in May we feel it would be irresponsible of us to do anything other than to cancel this event. With the recent government advice to avoid mass gatherings, this is, we feel, the best course of action.
As for the 2021 festival it will return next year on 1st 2nd & 3rd May 2021. We will be contacting all of our musicians, re-enactors and Sponsors who helped for the 2020 festival, to ask them to agree to return with us next year. We appreciate that this will be of little comfort to our sponsors and traders who will have lost revenue this year.
We all know that this is a rapidly evolving situation and we believe that understanding & kindness should be at the core of all our decision making right now.
Guidance from the UK Government is to follow the regular updates and public health guidance being issued by the NHS, including specific advice to call NHS 111 if you have been in close contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus. Daily updates are being issued here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
The Brixham Pirate Committee
