Vancouver Island’s signature country music bash is on hold for another year, as is an annual classic rock festival held on the same site.
For the second straight year both the high-profile Sunfest Country Music Festival and Laketown Shakedown in Lake Cowichan have been cancelled in accordance with government guidelines issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcements came this week via the festival’s website and social media accounts.
“Although we had hoped to not have to do this once again, we unfortunately must announce Laketown Shakedown will not be taking place again this summer,” read the Shakedown notice. “Laketown Shakedown has been rescheduled to June 30-July 2, 2022 and we will announce our 2022 lineup when it is ready.”
The message about Sunfest was similar:
“Sunfest Country has been rescheduled to July 28-31, 2022 and we will announce our 2022 lineup when it is ready. We are devastated to not be welcoming back all of your smiling faces this summer, but that just means we will all come back bigger and better in 2022,” read the Sunfest notice.
Last year the event’s organizers were “cautiously optimistic” that both Laketown Shakedown and Sunfest would go as planned but ultimately both were cancelled due to the pandemic. This year, the same was true.
“We are grateful for your support and understanding and we wish you and your families continued health and safety,” said the Shakedown notice.
“We looked forward to seeing your smiling faces enjoying the festival and many talented acts we had scheduled for 2021. Now our work continues to prepare for 2022! Let’s all do our part and get through these last few hurdles together so we can get back to the normal we all miss so much.”
Ticket holders who had elected to roll over their passes last year can rest assured they will be able to do so again.
For those wanting a refund, “we will also be offering a refund period for 14 days from once you receive an email from Front Gate ticketing with your options.”
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