Oamaru music festival cancelled

The Saggy Britches Band performs in Harbour St for the 2019 Harbour Street Jazz and Blues...
The Saggy Britches Band performs in Harbour St for the 2019 Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival. PHOTO: REBECCA RYAN
Oamaru is not going to get its usual jazzing up at Otago Anniversary weekend.

This year’s Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival, scheduled to take place from March 18 to 20, has been cancelled.

Festival event co-ordinator Michelle Harrison said uncertainty was a major factor in the festival committee’s decision, especially the uncertainty presented by the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

"For us, community comes first and we see that by cancelling the event we are looking after people’s safety and wellbeing, and that’s why we made the call," Ms Harrison said.

Organisers did not want to people to put themselves at risk by attending the event, she said.

In 2020, the festival was cancelled five days before it was scheduled to start.

This time, the committee was able to give its performers and stakeholders plenty of notice so they knew where they stood, she said.

Ms Harrison, who had been organising the 2022 festival since August last year, said once restrictions relaxed, the committee would like to arrange pop-up events for local acts to perform.

Later in the year, it might organise a fundraising event.

ruby.heyward@odt.co.nz

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