Festival organisers have said they are “absolutely devastated” to announce Longitude will not go ahead this July due to coronavirus restrictions.
This year’s festival was set to take place in Dublin’s Marlay Park on the first weekend of July, with big names Kendrick Lamar; Tyler, The Creator; and A$ap Rocky scheduled to headline.
A statement published on the festival’s website on Monday afternoon said the Government’s recent announcements have made it “clear that we simply will not be able to make Longitude happen this year due to Covid-19 restrictions”.
The organisers apologised to the “thousands of people” who bought tickets to the festival, saying they are “absolutely devastated” the festival has been cancelled for the second year due to the pandemic. However, the statement said the event will return in July 2022.
Ticket holders can request a refund from their point of purchase, with Ticketmaster to automatically refund people who booked through them online or over the phone.
The festival’s announcement came shortly before the chief medical officer struck an optimistic note about the possibility of big outdoor events going ahead this summer. Dr Tony Holohan said he would like to think there could be spectators at this year’s All-Ireland finals in July and said outdoor events such as the Electric Picnic festival could be considered if really good progress is made. Electric Picnic in Co Laois is currently scheduled to go ahead in early September.
Dr Holohan told RTÉ’s News at One radio programme that the current ambition is to “get through May” and then to proceed to a further easing of restrictions on June 7th if the current reopening continues safely.
Minister for Arts and Culture Catherine Martin also signalled the return of live entertainment and spectator sports later in the summer.
Asked by RTÉ for a timeframe, she said: “I think July at the latest, but I would be more ambitious than that and I’d like to see some live music test events take place in June because these venues and performers have been stopped by the pandemic from earning a living and we have missed performing, so I’m determined to make that happen as soon as possible.”
