Summer Camp Music Festival is the latest major festival brand cashes in its chips due to the impact of COVID-19. The fest’s organizers were holding off on postponing as the state of Illinois navigated its reopening process. which was hinging on Phase 5 of the “Restore Illinois Plan.” However, due to the recent spike in nationwide cases, they decided to officially pull the plug.
Ian Goldberg, founder of the beloved Chillicothe, Illinois music fest, today announced the official postponement of its 2020 event, which was going to be its 20th anniversary. In a press release, he also shared Summer Camp’s rescheduled dates, announcing that the 2021 iteration will take place over Memorial Day Weekend from May 28th to May 30th.
“We have held out with hope against hope that things would begin to get better in this ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus,” said Goldberg. “With strong leadership here in Illinois, we have been making progress. All of the metrics have been trending in the right direction, and we were encouraged with the Governor moving up the opening of outdoor patios and restaurant service to Phase 3 and then moving ahead with opening Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan. However, in the face of the national spike we are now experiencing, along with the lack of leadership and coherent response on a national level, it is clear that Illinois will not be in Phase 5 and we will not be able to safely host Summer Camp Music Festival this August.”
“As much as it pains us to miss this year, that was to have been our 20th Anniversary celebration, we of course hold the health and safety of you, our fans, and our dedicated staff as our number one concern,” the statement continues. “So it is with a heavy heart that we again announce the postponement of our 20th anniversary celebration to Memorial Day Weekend of 2021.”
According to the press release, most of the headliners booked for the 2020 festival will appear at next year’s event and a full lineup will release soon. Refund requests will be honored starting Monday, July 13th with a deadline of July 31st, 2020, and an email from organizers with more information will arrive in inboxes soon.
You can read the full statement below.
