Call Of The Wild bosses have bowed to the inevitable and postponed this summer’s three-day festival until September.
The Lincolnshire event was due to take place at the end of May but the coronavirus outbreak forced a rethink.
And Call Of The Wild will now take place from September 18-20.
Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons and Massive Wagons both remain as headliners with the former taking the Friday slot and the latter playing Sunday.
But Michael Monroe – the third of this year’s headliners – has been forced to withdraw altogether.
Call Of The Wild are actively seeking a suitable replacement to top Saturday’s bill.
And organisers have reached out to under-pressure health workers in the midst of a national emergency by offering 500 free tickets to NHS staff.
“We want to show our thanks by allocating 500 free weekend tickets to all NHS workers,” read a statement issued earlier today.
“These can be applied for by contacting info@callofthewildfestival.co.uk with proof/ID of NHS employment.
“However, if you are an NHS worker and you have already have purchased a ticket for this year we will allocate you free weekend tickets for 2021.
“The deadline for applications April 30, 2020.”
The rescheduled Call Of The Wild festival will still host three stages as well as camping, glamping and a VIP area.
But the statement added: “It is clear the current pandemic will have the country in turmoil for quite a while.
“It rules out any possibility of keeping to our May schedule.
“The restrictions on mass gatherings that have been brought in may still be in force come May.
“And then there are all the additional disruptions to normal life that we’re likely to see.
“We have listened to all of the advice from central government and the Safety Advisory Group.
“And the general feeling is that, come September, we envisage that we will be back to a normal footing.”
The Call Of The Wild team has been working around the clock to ensure this year’s festival does go ahead.
A postponement, rather than a cancellation, was always the plan.
And the statement continued: “In the last few weeks we’ve acted quickly to secure the venue and all of our suppliers.
“And we’ve secured a good majority of our existing line-up.
“Due to other touring commitments, we have had to swap Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons to Friday and Massive Wagons to Sunday.
“We are incredibly disappointed to have lost Michael Monroe on the Saturday.
“But we are working very hard to bring you an equally great Saturday headline act.
“We are hopeful that most of our ticket holders will be able to join us in September.
“But we appreciate that customers might have existing plans or commitments.
“Our ticketing partner GIGANTIC will be emailing all purchasers with the following options:
- Tickets can be transferred automatically to the new date.
- Tickets can be transferred to the 2021 event.
- Full refunds can be arranged.
“It will also be possible to swap day tickets or claim a full refund.
“Please respond to GIGANTIC’s email or – if preferred – contact them at customerservices@gigantic.com.
“Anyone who purchased Earlybird tickets directly from us at the festival last year should contact info@callofthewildfestival.co.uk.
“We will sort things out on the same terms as above.”
For further information check the website at www.callofthewildfestival.com for further info and updates.