Laketown Shakedown, Sunfest Music Festival cancelled due to COVID-19

VICTORIA -- Two popular Vancouver Island music festivals have been cancelled due to COVID-19.

The two music festivals – which were set to bring musical headliners like Wu-Tang Clan, Keith Urban, Third Eye Blind, Nelly and others to the Cowichan Valley this summer – are being postponed due to B.C.’s current health guidelines.

Last week, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said large summer events would not be happening in B.C. in the foreseeable future.

"Realistically, we will not be having those big events where people gather together this summer," said Henry on Saturday.

"We do not have enough herd immunity or community immunity to allow that type of event to happen."

According to Laketown Shakedown, all tickets will be fully refunded. Alternatively, festival-goers who have already purchased a ticket can hold onto their passes until next year.

Laketown Shakedown says that anyone who keeps their passes will receive a free early camping entry for the 2021 festival.

Meanwhile, country music festival Sunfest says it will similarly refund all passes, or accept this year’s tickets at their next event.

Anyone who chooses to hold onto a Sunfest ticket will be invited to a “private function” before the festival begins next year.

“We have been in constant communication with artists, agents, management teams, staff, government and health agencies over the last six weeks,” said Laketown Shakedown in its cancellation announcement.

“The volume of moving parts and people involved in these decisions is unprecedented, but the support and understanding from all of you has been amazing.”

Both music festivals say instructions on how to receive refunds or ticket credits will be emailed out to ticketholders beginning next week.

Anyone with further questions on either event is asked to contact [e-mail].