Solas Festival 2020: Covid-19 Update

Solas Festival 2020: Covid-19 Update

In light of current events, the Solas Festival board has regretfully decided that the festival cannot take place in June this year. We have not taken this decision lightly, as we know how much work has gone into preparation for the festival from our team, our partners and the many artists we were looking forward to welcoming to Solas. However, in line with Scottish Government advice, it is clear that planning an event on this scale would be irresponsible given the current outbreak of Covid-19.

We know how important Solas Festival is to so many of you, and we very much hope that we will be able to organise an event that will enable us to gather, sharing music and ideas at some point in 2020, not least in the run-up to COP 26. But what the future holds is uncertain for us all: for now we, like you, are monitoring the situation as it develops, and like you, we are now really looking forward to Solas Festival 2021!

For those of you who have bought tickets, your ticket will automatically carry forward to 2021. However, we are acutely aware that some of you will suffer hardship over the next few months. If you are in this situation please email debs@solasfestival.co.uk to request a refund or call 0141 628 7179 and leave a message with your number. For those of you who are in a more secure financial situation, we would like to ask if you would consider converting your ticket into a donation to the festival. This can easily be done via the online form here, or email debs@solasfestival.co.uk if you have further questions.

Most of you will be aware that the festival is not a profit-making enterprise and that we would not exist without the financial support of others, including our partners and grant funders. The next 12 months are going to be very challenging for us even to survive. We will have no ticket income to rely on, existing grants will go forward to the 2021 festival, but we still have a small and hardworking freelance staff team whose income it is our priority to protect. If you are able to consider donating your ticket to us, all of the income will go towards protecting our team and ensuring a viable future for Solas Festival and its vision. Such a show of support would mean a great deal to us and allow us to keep working towards future festivals. If you are a UK taxpayer Solas Festival can claim the tax back if you choose to donate, so please do fill out the form with your details. If you aren't able to donate your full ticket price but would still like to donate to the festival, you can do so here.

We are in discussion with funders about how best to support artists, and we very much hope to be able to honour as many artist bookings as possible at a later date. But please in the meantime consider visiting the websites of some of the acts on our line up and – if you are able – buy books, records and merchandise. So many musicians, writers and artists live extremely precariously on income from touring and they need your support now more than ever.

This is a moment for us to recognise our collective interdependence and to strengthen our practices of collective care.

In addition to taking health precautions advised by the government, Solas Festival invites you to take this moment to envision, build, and contribute to a more resilient, more caring society.

There are many social goods that Solas Festival has long supported that now need to be campaigned for with an even greater urgency. Please consider:

Advocating for social care that supports the vulnerable and marginalised in our society. This pandemic only highlights the inequalities that surround us in Scotland and the world.

Supporting calls for paid sick leave, the funding of the NHS, a moratorium on rent and evictions, and housing for the unhoused.

Demanding material support for the many refugees who are extremely vulnerable to this pandemic and the release of asylum seekers from Dungavel,

Strengthening our existing mutual aid networks. Are you able-bodied? Can you work from home? Offer to run errands for those who are chronically ill. Check in on your elderly neighbours to make sure they're OK. Support independent businesses, and those workers who are keeping people fed and cared for.

Sharing stories, resources, thoughts and feeling with your friends and neighbours at this time. Many will be feeling isolated, and reaching out to those around us is crucial. Offer a phone call, send an email, and check in with people in your neighbourhood to make sure that they have the support they need.

Our thoughts are with all of those in the Solas community at this time - please do get in touch with us to share any ideas or initiatives for supporting those around us. And we look forward to seeing you at Solas Festival before too long.