The Duncan Cowichan Festival Society announced this week that the 39 Days of July will be postponed for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings, but you can still catch some of the scheduled performances online.
This is the latest in a long line of major and minor festivals in the Cowichan Valley, and indeed across the province, that have been cancelled or postponed for this year due to the pandemic.
Traditionally, the 39 Days of July has consisted of a series of outdoor musical events primarily at venues in Charles Hoey Park and City Square in Duncan. But all is not lost.
“Although known as a festival that physically gathers people together to enjoy ‘free’ live entertainment we do have a plan in place to present many of the fine musical acts we had already scheduled for 2020 to be live-streamed from the Duncan Showroom stage for the full 39 days,” the Society said in a press release.
“The Duncan Showroom, a well respected music venue located in the heart of downtown Duncan, has over 2,000 live streamed concerts already archived on their Duncan Showroom YouTube channel and are quite able to produce a fine finished product. The DCFS and the Duncan Showroom have been working together for over eight years now and have jointly produced the 39 Days of July/the 40th Day of July (on Labour Day weekend) and Wine Down Wednesdays in August.”
Audiences will still be treated to concerts daily, but they will need to watch them from the comfort of their own homes or other spaces. Going online also means that people will be able to catch archived shows as well.
A tip jar will be available on the festival website and through the live stream to help defray costs.
A partial schedule should be posted soon, the Festival said.
