A FESTIVAL near Salisbury has announced it will not be going ahead next year.

Organisers say this is because the event "has always operated on tight margins and can't afford to take huge risks".

Over the last 30 years Larmer Tree Festival has been a favourite for Salisbury residents, but it has now fallen victim to the Covid-19 pandemic for a third time.

In 2020 the five-day music and arts event was due to celebrate its 30th year.

The "uncertainty caused by Covid disruption" however, coupled with an inability to afford huge risks, means the festival has pulled the plug once again.

It hopes to return in 2023 "reinvigorated and re-inspired".

Kate Tempest, Tom Odell, The Cat Empire, The Shires, Gomez and KT Tunstall were just some of the artists who performed in the Larmer Tree Gardens back in July 2019.

A statement from the organisers says: "Please excuse the radio silence from the Larmer Tree team.

"We have been considering what Larmer Tree Festival means and what it could be in the future.

"This is a hard task made a lot harder by the uncertainty caused by Covid disruption to suppliers and contractors.

"Larmer Tree has always operated on tight margins and we can't afford to take huge risks, so we have decided not to have a festival in 2022."

The statement added: "We want to get everything just right for the local community and the Larmer Tree Family and we hope to come back in 2023 in some form, reinvigorated and re-inspired.

"In the meantime, we wish you a safe and merry Christmas and a happy new year."

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