P.E.I. Festival of Small Halls cancelled, alternative plans in the works

The pandemic has cancelled P.E.I.'s Festival of Small Halls for the second year in a row, but the organizers are considering what other kinds of events they might host this year.

At her briefing on Tuesday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said there would be no mass gatherings this summer.

"Maybe the Festival of Small Halls isn't conducive to the pandemic situation," said festival executive director Josh Ellis.

"We thought about, for social distancing, maybe doing the festival of slightly larger halls. Just something a little different."

While Ellis said the line about small halls and the pandemic started as an inside joke, it is a real issue as well.

The festival usually hosts about 30 shows in 30 small venues across the province during a two-week period in June. Public health restrictions on those small venues cause revenue issues that cannot be resolved.

The group is planning on hosting events over several weekends in communities with relatively large venues, such as Georgetown and Goose River.

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