Edmonton Folk Fest cancels 2021 festival with 'variants and vaccine rollout still uncertain'

Will Edmonton have festivals in 2021? Vaccines are ramping up but it's looking like another scaled down summer for Edmonton's festival scene. CTV News Edmonton's Carlyle Fiset reports.

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Folk Music Festival cancelled its 2021 festival at Gallagher Park for the second year in a row.

Set to take place in August, Edmonton Folk Fest cancelled the event on Monday citing safety concerns with the ongoing pandemic.

"With so many variables at play, the complexity of planning and delivering a festival of this size makes it impossible to move forward in our usual manner," a release read. "Without full vaccination, we won’t be fully safe from the spread of the virus. With virus variants and vaccine rollout still uncertain, the impossibility of social distancing at our event could lead to community spread."

Premier Jason Kenney recently said this would be Alberta's best summer ever and that with increased vaccinations, events like the Calgary Stampede would be allowed to go on.

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival instead once again opted for online content, and "if small gatherings are allowed, then we hope to add some community engagement to the mix."

Organizers are optimistic the festival will return to normal in August 2022.​

For more information, visit Folk Fest's website.