The annual Scariff Harbour Festival has been cancelled for 2020.
Due to government recommendations and Covid-19 restrictions, the Waterways Ireland-sponsored festival, scheduled to be held this August Bank holiday week-end, will not now go ahead.
‘It is a huge disappointment for the community, festival goers and the organising committee that this year’s festival cannot happen,’ said Festival Chairman, Mike Rodgers. ‘We looked into every possible angle to try and find a way in which even some elements of the festival might happen, but the safety of people was our top priority and determined the final outcome,’ he said.
2020 was to be the 18th Harbour Festival and a provisional programme of events had been in place. A true community festival with a mix of free outdoor music, walks, talks, guest speakers, boat tours and children’s entertainment is the highlight on the calendar of events for the east Clare harbour town and wider area.
According to Harry O’Meara, who has been on the Festival Committee since its inception, the Scariff Harbour Festival has built up a very credible reputation over close on two decades.
‘It is with a huge sense of regret that we had to reach this decision. The festival has attracted many people from all over Clare and beyond including people native to East Clare who are now living elsewhere in Ireland or abroad. The risks associated with such a gathering are simply too high,’ he said.
Despite the resultant break in the up to now unbroken sequence of festivals, the committee has promised to put its shoulder to the wheel in planning the Festival’s return in 2021.