The Bear Creek Folk Festival (BCFF) announced this week that this summer’s event will not be happening.

The decision was made with public safety and financial viability in mind.

In a Facebook post, they share, “This was a painful decision to make, especially in light of all of the positive steps we’re hearing in the battle against the COVID pandemic. However, as a large-scale international event that brings together thousands of people from so far and wide, there are simply too many risk factors for us to have full certitude of it being fully safe.”

In addition to the health concerns, since the festival takes a full year to plan, the team says if they had to cancel it would risk the long-term viability of the event.

“Although we will not be able to present our full festival this summer, we also know the importance of community, mental health, and celebrating getting back to normal after a very trying year.”

With this in mind, the BCFF team is working on a scalable event that will highlight the talent in our area. It will include the possibility of a live audience and be adaptable to changing health regulations. More details will come as guidelines become clear.

The adapted event is planned for Aug. 14 to 15.

Tickets purchased for the 2020 festival that people saved for the 2021 festival will still be redeemable for the Aug. 12-14, 2022 festival, or any future year.