THE summer season of events organised by Harrogate International Festivals has been cancelled.

A spokesman for the festival said: “It is with deep regret and sadness that Harrogate International Festivals has taken the decision to cancel this year’s summer season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This includes the Harrogate Music Festival, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Spiegeltent and Children’s Festival, as well as several outdoor theatre and community events.

“This difficult decision was made after carefully assessing health and safety of everyone involved: our audience, artists, suppliers, partners, volunteers, staff and the wider community.

“Many months of dedicated work went into planning this exceptional season and we share in the disappointment that will be felt by the many writers, performers and festival-goers who were set to join us in Harrogate.

“As a not-for-profit arts charity, we are reliant on our events programme and ticket income, alongside sponsor support and donor philanthropy, and so the cancellation of our main season has huge financial implications that place the future of our festivals at risk. But despite the unprecedented challenge, our mission to bring immersive cultural experiences to as many people as possible is unchanged.”