Gutted organisers call off 2021's Belladrum music festival
The Highlands' biggest music festival has been called off for this summer with a heavy heart.
Organisers of the 2021 Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival have said they have taken the decision with deep regret after months of considered efforts.
They stressed that postponing the festival to 2022 'is the safest decision for the whole Bella community'.
A festival spokesperson said: "No one wants to be back in the fields at Bella more than us, however, the status of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that delivering an event we all know and love, just isn’t going to be possible this year.
"Whilst the vaccine programme appears to be progressing well and there are signs of light at the end of the very long tunnel, we feel there are still too many uncertainties surrounding the potential restrictions that may be in place.
"We don’t want to deliver an event we aren’t proud of or compromise in any way on the magic that makes Bella so special to all of us.
"We are aware that there are some events that are going ahead and we have considered all options for how Bella might look but the nature of the weekend camping show we have just doesn’t make it possible.
"We have been working closely with the rest of the UK event industry in lengthy conversations with Westminster Government to provide an insurance policy for our industry.
"Without this, the risk of pushing on with planning with no certainty on what the future holds are simply too huge."
The spokesperson continued: "To postpone two years in a row is a tough blow and we cannot thank our Bella community enough for their support for the festival.
"They blew us away in 2020 with their participation in our virtual event and their engagement throughout these really tough times has kept us all going here at Bella HQ."
All 2021 ticket holders will be offered the option to transfer their tickets to the 2022 event.
Full refund for all tickets purchased will be refunded for those who can not attend next year with the festival scheduled for July 28-30.
