VICTORIA -- If you were hoping to attend a concert or festival this summer or fall, it’s likely your plans have been postponed – if not cancelled – due to COVID-19.

The provincial government’s reopening plan announced Wednesday outlined the different phases in which restrictions will be eased in B.C. Not included in the province’s social resurrection, however, are large summer gatherings of any kind.

Popular island festivals Laketown Shakedown and Sunfest Country Music Festival – both organized through the Laketown Ranch in Cowichan Valley – announced last month that their summer line ups would not be going ahead as planned. Instead, organizers have pushed both music festivals to 2021.

Festival organizer Mike Hann says ticketholders have been given two options. The first offers festivalgoers a full refund within a two-week time window of respective event cancellations.

The second includes incentives for those who hold on to their tickets for next year's planned events.

“We wanted to offer them a refund if they need it,” says Hann. “But we also wanted to offer a chance for people to stick with us through this, and with that offer them a reward.”

Hann says Sunfest and Laketown Shakedown attendees who choose to hold onto their festival passes for next year’s shows will receive early entry into the festival, along with a “special show” as a thank you from festival organizers.

Although refunds are usually the first option people look for, cancelling large-scale music events is a huge financial challenge for local staff, Hann says. That’s especially true in this case because large gatherings in B.C. are not expected to make a comeback anytime soon. They are contingent upon finding a COVID-19 vaccine, according to public health officials.

“With John Horgan’s announcement yesterday, it sort of put it in perspective that live events of this magnitude are going be the last thing to come back on line,” Hann says.

“It’s pretty heartbreaking because it’s not just the event and festivalgoers that are hurt by this, but also the huge economy that surrounds it with the local small-town businesses and production workers and gig economy workers that have really been hit hard by this whole thing."

On a national level, event organizer Live Nation has created a “COVID-19 Ticket Refund Plan,” which will automatically refund cancelled events and allow ticketholders to opt for a refund within 30 days of rescheduled events.