It will come as no surprise to most but it's still disappointing to have to tell you that that there will be no Devizes Beer Festival this year.
CAMRA HQ has a rolling 3 month cancellation policy and so we were likely to be cancelled in the next week, but Devizes CAMRA has decided not to wait for that to happen, recognising the safety of our community is our greatest concern.
Even if the ban on events such as ours were to be lifted in the next month, we still wouldn't hold the festival. This is partly due to the planning and logistics but a far bigger deal is the future of our pubs. Most are going to struggle. Some might not make it. During this time, we need to refocus our efforts in supporting our local pubs so that they remain open and stay strong. Those efforts will continue when they reopen and, if that's by July, we need to encourage people who need encouraging to get back through those doors.
This isn't the end for Devizes Beer Festival - far from it. Some of you will remember that there was no beer festival in 2006 and we came back from that hiatus bigger and stronger. DBF21 in 2021 will be the same.
Stay safe and keep in touch.
Don Jones (Chair)
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