In light of the latest advice from the government and Bristol City Council, we have made the decision to cancel this year’s Bristol Shakespeare Festival. We will return in 2021.
We have been closely following local guidance and had hoped to be in a position to hold the festival safely by July. Having worked so closely with all of our touring companies to put together an absolutely fantastic programme that we were excited to share with you all, we are deeply saddened to be making this announcement.
Although it’s not how we had planned to celebrate their work, we will continue to share content across our channels and look into alternative ways the companies can entertain you this year, in hopes that a bit of Shakespeare can brighten your day.
Whilst we appreciate that this is a lesser concern than the safety of all festival attendees, from cast to audience, we would like to clarify that we will seek to work with our touring companies and venues to minimise their financial losses. The arts is often a financially unstable area to work in at the best of times and we want to make sure that everyone is in a position to continue operating now and in the future.
We share the sadness and uncertainty of our sister festivals and arts organisations at this time and very much hope that we will all be in a position to return to you next year.
In the meantime, we hope that you all stay safe and support each other. We are very grateful for your support during this uncertain time.
The Bristol Shakespeare Festival Team