Organizers Cancel Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Due To Coronavirus

Telluride Blues & Brews canceled its 2020 event due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The festival will return September 17-19, 2021.

Set to headline Blues & Brews 2020 were Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Brittany Howard, Buddy Guy, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, St. Paul and The Broken Bones and Jonny Lang. Festival director and founder Steve Gumble indicated in a statement that the 2021 edition would largely carry the same lineup.

Read Gumble’s entire statement below:

To Our Dear Festival Community,

You might be familiar with that old saying, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb”. Well, the beginning of March in 2020 certainly lived up to that reputation, but unfortunately, the end of March did not get the memo. We were certain that this COVID-19 craziness would settle down by September. We held on to each day and each update and watched our hopes of holding Blues & Brews fade as each day passed. Having said that, it is with tremendous sadness that I sit here forced to write what I thought I would never have to write – the 27th Telluride Blues & Brews Festival will be cancelled for 2020. This is the toughest decision I have made but without a doubt, it is the right thing to do.

If you’ve ever attended, performed, volunteered, worked, poured beer or simply been involved with the festival, we thank you, you are truly considered family. It’s because of you that the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival has grown into a gathering so unique and special. And because of this, it’s imperative to protect our festival community by waiting to reunite until it’s safe to do so.

Since 1994, we have worked tirelessly throughout each year with the goal of producing a stellar event experience, yielding lifelong memories, while also having a positive impact on our community and many non-profit partners. More than just a festival, our team takes great joy in fostering a celebration of old and new faces joining together to enjoy a few days of stunning performances, beautiful scenery, craft beer, plenty of smiles and so much more than words can describe.

As we “unwind” the tremendous work that has gone into this year’s festival, the postponement is not only painful and sad, but will have a deep impact on our small, independent company. We realize that many folks are in a tough position right now, so we are offering ticket-holders the options to roll tickets over for the 2021 event, donate the value of ticket purchases to help us keep our lights on, or obtain a full refund. If you’re in the position to do so, we ask that you consider a donation or rolling over your tickets to 2021 to help see the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival through these challenging times. Rolling over your tickets will lock in the current price regardless of future price increases.

We are grateful for your faith in our festival by purchasing your ticket(s) early. We believe our community and festival will return stronger than ever in 2021 and are working on crafting a few special digital surprises in the meantime. We have also invited all 2020 artists to join us for the 2021 festival, and many artists are ready to commit, likely leaving a similar lineup in place.

Thank you for your overwhelming support through this complicated time. We are beginning to set our sights on 2021 with a renewed sense of hope, enthusiasm and optimism. Thank you and we hope you will join us for next year’s Telluride Blues & Brews Festival or another SBG Productions event.

Stay healthy, stay safe and we look forward to seeing your smiles on September 17-19, 2021.

Cheers,

Steve Gumble

Festival Director

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Source: JamBase.com