Buxton Festival Fringe organisers are trying to keep the show on the road amid coronavirus uncertainty

Dave Robb in The Devil in the Belfry, one of the shows scheduled for Buxton Festival Fringe this year.

Organisers stress that they will act on government guidelines and that performers should not risk their health or that of the wider community by unsafe practices either during the Fringe or after it.

Entries co-ordinator Ian Bowns adds: “We will not put people at risk. We hope that actions taken recently and over coming weeks will have the intended impact and by July live performances can again be judged safe by experts. If not, or certain types of performance are still felt to be too risky, we have a number of innovative performances which could constitute a more limited Fringe. Circumstances may change and we will keep our plans under continuous consideration to respond responsibly to emerging risks.”

Key changes to this year’s Fringe include the extension of the entries deadline to June 1 at which point organisers will take stock as to how to proceed. Up until this point, if performers decide to withdraw from the Fringe they can ask for and will receive a full entry fee refund. The normally staggered entry fee will be a flat £50 across the board with refunds offered to anyone who has paid the £70 March fee.

Currently there are more than 100 events for the Fringe which is scheduled to run from July 1 to 19.

Fringe chairman Stephen Walker said: “We are entirely independent of the festival, and fortunately don’t have the same financial risks and pressures they do, so we can be more nimble.

“The town will definitely need something to look forward to over the coming weeks, and whilst it may be a very different Fringe we are hopeful it will still be a Fringe.”

Further information on this fast-moving situation is available on www.buxtonfringe.org.ukor contact [email protected]

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