Field Maneuvers festival postponed until 2022

Field Maneuvers, originally due to take place in early September, has postponed its next edition to 2022.

Organisers of the festival cited both financial and health concerns as reasons for the festival’s postponement, referring to the possibility of a government U-turn on COVID-19 restrictions forcing them to have to cancel at a later date and incur large costs that could not be recouped.

“We do not take this decision lightly as we have worked so hard to make this event go ahead this year and we really want to see you all in a field again – but sadly it’s just too much of a risk both financially and healthwise,” the festival’s statement confirming the postponement said. “With the potential risk of (yet another) Tory U-turn during a year where cancellation insurance isn’t available to us would put us in an awful financial situation which we would be unlikely to recover from.”

Organisers added that, as a small and independent festival, it would be difficult to raise significant funds to secure the event’s future, should they lose a large amount of money from pushing forward with plans for this year only to have to cancel them just before the original intended date of the 3rd to 5th September. The festival usually hosts around 800 people in a secret location each year. 

2019 was the festival’s seventh edition, and it has not gone ahead since as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eris Drew, Overmono, LSDXOXO and Josey Rebelle were among the artists who were due to play this year’s event.

Read the full statement below.