Kaya Festival postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus

The Kaya Festival was due to feature headline sets by Terry Hall, Lee Perry and Don Letts.

The Kaya Festival, which was due to feature headline sets by Terry Hall, Don Letts and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus.

The event was set to take place at Overstone Park in Northampton over three days in September with a line up showcasing a range of world music, arts and activities.

Organisers have now revealed Kaya will take place next August.

In a statement on the event’s Facebook page, organisers said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have made the tough decision to postpone the 2020 Kaya world music festival until 2021.

“With a local lockdown looking more likely, we could not, in good conscience continue to sell tickets with the rate of infections at the level which they currently are.

“Most importantly the health and well-being of our staff, our community and all of you who have bought tickets is the most important issue for us.”

Dozens of acts perform at the annual event which combines African, Jamaican, European, Latin, Caribbean and world music alongside workshops, arts, food stalls and activities.

People who purchased a ticket for this year’s festival will be able to claim a refund or transfer their tickets to the new date next year via the event’s ticket company Eventbrite.

The statement continues: “Next year we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Kaya and we can’t wait to see you all there.

“These are unprecedented times as we are all aware, but in light of the postponement we will continue to maintain a positive outlook and hope that each and every one of you will understand that our decision was not made lightly but was made because we care about the ethos behind our mission.

“To bring music, culture and above all love and community spirit to Northampton and its people.”

In July, organisers said they hoped the festival would still be able to go ahead despite the Covid-19 outbreak.

The festival will return next year from August 27 to August 30.

For more information, visit https://kaya-festival.com