Joining the long list of cancelled or postponed festivals due to the current Covid-19 outbreak is another casualty, the Long Road Festival which has been cancelled for this year but will take place in 2021 on 10th-12th September – tickets for 2020 remain valid for next year. The organisers’ statement reads: “As the response to COVID-19 has progressed in recent weeks, our team at The Long Road have been working hard to assess what the impact on this year’s festival may be.
While the festival is a number of months away, given the current climate, it is with regret that we announce that The Long Road won’t be possible this year. Creating an event in September that both stays true to the values that you our community deserve, and most importantly keeps you, the artists and our wider country family safe will not be possible.
Alongside a priority to protect the capacity of the NHS and emergency services in Leicestershire, a need that will be present for some time to come, we also have to acknowledge the difficulties in bringing together a line-up which features so many of our friends from across the pond during a climate of restricted travel and distancing measures.
The 3rd edition of The Long Road will now take place 10th – 12th September 2021. Planning is already well underway and we’re working to move as many of the scheduled acts over to next year as possible. Ahead of a full announcement later this year, we wanted to give you a flavour of the variety and talent that we have to look forward to, so we’re announcing a preview of 2021 artists shortly.
Any existing tickets will automatically be transferred to the 2021 event, but should you not be able to attend these new dates we will of course refund your tickets. All ticket holders will shortly receive an email from their ticket provider with further details on this process. During this time of change our community will continue to grow and to support one another, we are so proud to be a part of that with all of you. Be safe and take care of each other and we’ll see you a little further down the road in 2021.”
While the festival is a number of months away, given the current climate, it is with regret that we announce that The Long Road won’t be possible this year. The 3rd edition of TLR will now take place 10th – 12th Sept 2021. View the full statement here: https://t.co/46j6JcJFKF pic.twitter.com/z5GKE6q7oD
— The Long Road (@TheLongRoadFest) May 7, 2020
In the meantime Long Road 2021 will of course be fantastic – alongside Brandy Clark, Dale Watson, Sunny Sweeney, Gretchen Peters, Cassadee Pope and Kyle Daniel, an eclectic mix of acts from across the spectrum of country and americana will appear including Whitney Rose, The Ghost of Paul Revere, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Lilly Hiatt, Candi Carpenter, Gangstagrass, The Adelaides, Sarah Darling, Lauren Morrow, Flats & Sharps, Noble Jacks, Morganway, Roseanne Reid, Callum Pitt, Jade Helliwell, Jess Thristan and Legends of Country.
Creative Director of The Long Road, Baylen Leonard says “We just wanted to say thank you for your support and your patience and your understanding while we figured out what was going on this year. The entire team work on The Long Road year-round but the moment that it really comes to life is when all of you join us in Leicestershire so we’re really sad that we’re not going to be able to do that this year.
We’re so proud of this initial 2021 line up, and we hope that it will provide you all with a little something to look forward to. A huge thank you to all artists, agents and managers who have moved mountains to make The Long Road part of their 2021 calendar. We so look forward to joining together with all of you a little further down the road in 2021. Stay safe.”
It’s still unclear which if any festivals will be taking place in 2020, as regardless of the large number of outdoor spaces, the great British summer means that covered spaces are a necessity too. As always, please don’t forget to support musicians who would normally be playing festivals or other live settings by buying something from their website or donating to one of the many charities supporting them at the moment such as Help Musicians UK.
