Glastonbury Festival has made the decision to cancel its two-day September 2021 gathering Equinox as ongoing COVID-19 troubles continue to plague the U.K.
No official reasons have been given for the cancellation. Speculation is that the ongoing indecision regarding the reopening of nightlife and large scale events in the U.K. have affected Equinox. Houghton Festival has also pulled the plug on its 2021 iteration for the very same reason.
“We’ve decided not to go ahead with the September gig idea for a number of reasons, so we’re putting all of our energy into the campsite for now,” Glastonbury Festival organizer Emily Eavis said in a statement. She revealed that the family-friendly Worthy Pastures festival grounds would continue to operate as normal in lieu of Equinox.
U.K. festivals and the nightlife sector have cited multiple issues with obtaining insurance permits, along with the effectiveness of the country’s track and trace system, and a lack of clarity around the official U.K. reopening timeline as reasons for recent cancellations. The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has recently suggested that over half of the U.K.’s summer 2021 festivals have been cancelled or postponed due to the threat of COVID-19 and the ever-changing safety measures surrounding it.