The organisers of one of the country’s most popular family-oriented festivals have spoken of their determination to continue the event next year after postponing its 11th running.
Oliver Jones, who with his wife Kate Webster runs the Deer Shed Festival at Baldersby Park, near Thirsk, has described the process leading up to the cancellation of the three-day event for around 10,000 people as a “fairly horrific process”.
The announcement to instead stage the event from July 30 to August 1 2021, while not unexpected, has been met with dismay as the festival has established itself as key driver of the local economy, involving several hundred organisations, ranging from charities to sole traders.
Thirsk councillor Gareth Dadd said: “This is an event that has become very important to the Thirsk area, so it being postponed until next year is very sad indeed, but ultimately people’s health and safety must come before anything else. I hope that next year’s event will be bigger and better.”
The annual July event had been due to feature about 60 music acts, including James, Stereolab, Baxter Dury and Ghostpoet and a host of comedians including Marcus Brigstocke, Mark Watson, Josie Long and Rachel Parris.
Festival organisers had also spent since last year’s event organising scores of craft and science activities, and a lengthy sports, cinema and theatre programme.
He said the loyalty of both the regular audience and groups such as musicians involved in staging the event across the 90-acre site had given the festival’s future a huge boost.
Mr Jones said: “The decision has been quite a long time coming. We are in a better position now we have announced the postponement.
“Even if we wanted to go ahead it wouldn’t have been a great show and our audience wouldn’t have wanted to come either.
“If you look at the shadow that’s being cast by coronavirus, my feeling is the whole of the festival season will be wiped out.”
When asked about the financial impact of postponing the festival, Mr Jones said: “It has left a hole. There is a financial impact. We have talked about remortgaging our house and things like that. It has not been an easy few months.
He added: “It is not just the entertainment or events sector that is suffering – everybody across the board is. It is a coming together of an enormous amount of businesses.
“I haven’t got insight into everybody’s financial situation, but we are quite positive about next year. We are trying to confirm as much of the programme as we can and the vast majority of the people such as bands we have spoken to have been very positive about doing it all next July.
“Most people have decided they will hang on to their tickets until next year – they want something to look forward to.”
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