Due to the ongoing pandemic and to help keep people COVID-19 safe the Bury Festival has been cancelled for 2021.
Taking place in a number of venues around Bury St Edmunds, Bury Festival is held annually as part of the larger support West Suffolk Council gives to culture in the district and, in turn, support to the local economy.
However, with infection rates rising, there is no certainty that the event could be put on and it has, therefore, been difficult to programme acts.
West Suffolk Council is focusing on ensuring that The Apex gets back up and running as quickly as possible. This includes working to ensure that the nationally important Moments exhibition at Moyse’s Hall Museum (now rescheduled to 1 May – 30 September) is a big success and Covid safe.
The Moments exhibition will include works by Banksy, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, the Connor Brothers, Tickets can now be purchased for the Moments exhibition by booking online at www.moyseshall.org or by calling 01284 758000.
As with the Gaia event at the Apex, it is anticipated the Moments exhibition will give people something to look forward to in 2021. In addition, depending on national guidance at the time, it will also have a much-needed positive impact, particularly for local businesses such as cafés, restaurants and accommodation providers.
Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of West Suffolk, said: “We are of course sad not to be able to go ahead with the Bury Festival in May, which is one of the highlights of the year and involves many parts of the town. The festival has always added to the rich cultural programme that takes place throughout the year, for example at The Apex which West Suffolk Council also supports. We have had to be practical with infection rising and could not be confident of holding the festival again this year not least given our priority of keeping residents safe. However, the nationally important Moments exhibition will be an exciting addition to West Suffolk’s cultural diary for 2021 and will go some way to making up for the festival’s absence, as well as being part of the Council’s wider support of the local economy and businesses.
Councillor Jo Rayner, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community Hubs said: “It is a real shame that the festival won’t take place again this year. But with so much uncertainty surrounding when venues will be open again and how many tickets we would be able to sell for each event, it has made it very difficult to put a programme together for the festival. While this was a hard but practical decision we know 2021 will get better and with a very full Apex diary for the rest of the year. When we are able to fully reopen there is going to be plenty going on and we can’t wait to welcome back old and new customers. We would also like to thank everybody for your ongoing support during these challenging times.”