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No Hay Days in 2020, organizers say

A file photo of downtown Hay River in August 2019. Sarah Pruys/Cabin Radio
A file photo of downtown Hay River in August 2019. Sarah Pruys/Cabin Radio

The South Slave’s Hay Days music and arts festival will skip 2020, returning the following year, organizers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The festival said “a number of key management roles were vacated due to personal commitments” and time was needed to train new volunteers “to begin learning the hundreds of tasks involved” in staging the five-day Hay River event.

“After three very successful and expanding festivals,” the statement read, “the management committee [has] made the decision to postpone the next festival and celebrate the 10th year of events from July 6-10, 2021.”

Organizers added they “want to ensure a diverse and high-quality series of events to celebrate the 10th year and are therefore taking additional time to bring all committee members up to speed with the organizational requirements, while allowing additional time for planning of this milestone celebration.”

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The festival last took a hiatus in 2016.

Tuesday’s statement said the festival most recently operated with a budget of $160,000 and more than 60 volunteers, showcasing more than 70 NWT musicians and 15 of the territory’s artisans.