Festival management and staff made a decision at 11AM today (Wednesday, July 2) to immediately cancel the 2014 festival based on the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Arthur on the weekend. This decision is being made based on public safety concerns.
“We consulted a number of forecasting services, including Environment Canada and determine there is a high likelihood of winds in excess of 100kms per hour and heavy rainfall,” states Troy Greencorn, Artistic Director. “It is impossible in these circumstances for us to guarantee public safety. That makes the decision for us. It’s a horrible decision to have to make after so much work by so many people, but we just aren’t prepared to take the risks. We have also consulted our key suppliers (tents, production) and they share our concern and believe this to be the right decision. Hosting an outdoor, camping festival in a hurricane would be foolhardy.”
The festival will be updating ticket holders on follow up decisions and information through the festival’s website and on the festival’s social network sites. They hope to have this information available early next week.