Another Successful Music Barn Festival!

Well that was amazing!

2021 has been a difficult year for us all. We took a massive gamble in putting on an event so soon after covid restrictions had been lifted. At times the Music Barn team didn't believe it was ever going to possible and we were thinking of postponing the event until 2022.

So many things were stacked against us. The Uk Government delay in relaxing restrictions in June was the first hurdle. All of our performers, staff and guests were lined up to attend the event on 3rd July, but with restrictions still in place we had to make a significant decision: Should we run a Covid safe event or delay or cancel it altogether? None of the options were perfect but with the support of our community we pushed the event back to 24th July.

Next came a huge increase in the number of Covid cases across the UK. As the restriction lifted there was naturally a rise in cases particularly in the more virilent Delta variant. Every time we listened to the radio or looked at a news app, there were hundreds of negative reports on the pandemic here in the UK and globally.

All of this uncertainty had a knock on effect on our ticket sales. Large numbers (up to 30%) of ticket holders wanted a refund. They couldn't make the new date due to other commitments or just felt unsave in attending an event with large numbers of people in close proximity.

But we pushed on! This would be the last event at the Barns and we were determined to press ahead.

Finally the weather turned against us too! The British summer with all of its glory struck hard in July, with heavy downpours and flooding across much of the UK. The forecast predicted rain and thundery showers. However, on the day the sun came out and there wasn't any rain at all.

The moral of the story? Whatever banana skins life throws at you, it is best just to push on. Adapt your plans. Be flexible, for sure, but in the end keep on going!

We hope you enjoyed the event. See you all in 2022.