It is with regret that Glossop North End wishes to announce that following previous correspondence issued on April 17th , which detailed the postponement of this years beer festival from its original dates, we have taken the difficult and unfortunate decision to cancel the event for 2020. Meaning this will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival.

The decision comes in light of the conditional exit strategy revealed by the UK government. Whilst a tentative date of the start of July was announced for step 3 of the government’s plan, this remains subject to justification of specific criteria, and further detailed scientific advice.

Whilst step 3 of the plan would see some businesses re open in sectors such as leisure facilities and hospitality, In the case of some events which are, by design, crowded, it may prove difficult to enact distancing, meaning the event would still not be able to run safely at this point. This, together with the current uncertainty around the start date and subsequent format of the competitive 2020/2021 season, we are left with little option other than to cancel the event.

Just a few months ago, the idea of the May Spring Bank Holiday weekend in Glossop without the Beer Festival would have been totally unthinkable; now, like so many other aspects of our day-to-day lives, we must pause and take stock in the face of something far bigger.

The cancellation of this year’s Festival will no doubt come as a blow to our incredible crew and volunteers who work so hard to make this event happen. There will also inevitably be financial implications as a result of this cancellation – not just for us, but also the Festival’s suppliers, traders, and our community. GNE will continue to evaluate more regular fund raising strategies and activities throughout the coming year, and use the time to plan a 2021 beer festival that will build on the successes we’ve gratefully enjoyed over recent years.

We were so looking forward to welcoming you all for this years event where we hoped to build on a record breaking year last year, with a line-up full of fantastic artists and performers that we were incredibly proud to have booked. Again, we’re so sorry that this decision has been made. But we look forward to welcoming you back to GNE next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you.