Buxton International Festival 2020 cancelled in preparation for coronavirus peak

The festival - which has been running for 40 years - was set to go ahead between July 3-19 however the charity say they have no means of knowing what the position will be by the summer.

Trustees say following the most recent government statement regarding Covid-19 and with artists, authors and musicians increasingly unable to travel they could not deliver a festival ‘of the quality you expect’.

In a statement posted on their website BIF wrote: “The trustees of Buxton International Festival are acutely conscious of the impact this decision will have on our artists and businesses in the town of Buxton and the High Peak.

“To safeguard the viability of the Festival for 2021 and beyond we must cancel this year”.

The cancellation of the yearly event - which features opera, music and literature - comes after Buxton Opera House announced it would be closing with immediate effect yesterday (Tuesday).

Trustees say all tickets booked and paid for would be fully refunded.

However they are asking all customers to convert all or part of what they have paid into a donation.

They wrote: “Donations like this would be a tremendous help towards recovering from this calamitous event and ensuring we can deliver an outstanding Festival which will take place from 2 – 18 July 2021.

“Buxton International Festival is unique in the range of original productions it commissions each year.

“Ticket sales only cover about half of the overall costs and we rely on donations and sponsorship from our Friends and supporters.

“Thank you to all our friends, the Foundation, our sponsors and supporters, to our local authority, businesses, the Arts Council of England, our staff and our volunteers - all of whom are working tirelessly to ensure that the Buxton International Festival and the artists on whom it depends will be able to mount our much-loved Festival next year and in the future.

“We wish you and your families well and please keep safe in these trying times.

“From all of us in the BIF Team.”