Graces Jones’ Meltdown Festival has been rescheduled for a second time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Southbank Centre-hosted festival had originally been due to be curated by Jones in 2020, but those plans were moved to June this year due to the global health crisis.
Meltdown’s organisers have confirmed today (April 9) that they will be unable to operate the festival as planned from June 11-20, with the UK government only set to relax all social distancing restrictions on June 21 at the very earliest.
Jones’ Meltdown Festival will now take place at the Southbank Centre in London from June 10-19, 2022. Jones will headline and curate the festival next year, with a majority of the previously announced acts – including Solange, Peaches and Skunk Anansie – set to remain on the 2022 line-up.
However, the festival’s move to 2022 means that neither Ladysmith Black Mambazo (who will now perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on October 15, 2022) or Jimmy Cliff will be able to appear next year as part of Meltdown.
So, a lot of you have been asking what’s happening with this year’s #MeltdownFest
We can now confirm that Grace Jones’ Meltdown is to move to 2022
The move follows government advice that social distancing will continue until at least 21 June 2021 pic.twitter.com/SWWZs3CUpC
— Meltdown Festival (@meltdownfest) April 9, 2021
The Southbank Centre say they will be in touch with all ticket holders with information on how tickets will be transferred to the new dates in 2022.
“While it’s disappointing to be announcing that Grace Jones’ Meltdown will be postponed
until June 2022, we are so grateful to everyone involved in helping us reschedule the hugely anticipated festival,” Bengi Ünsal, Head of Contemporary Music at the Southbank Centre, said in a statement.
“Meltdown is the cornerstone of the Southbank Centre’s Contemporary Music programme and we know how much our audiences were looking forward to seeing the icon that is Grace Jones take to the Royal Festival Hall stage this summer, alongside an incredible array of artists. The regulations around social distancing make postponement the best course of action for a festival of this scale, to ensure we can retain the roster of global artists we’ve got lined-up and welcome all those who already hold tickets.
“We know it’s shaping up to be one of the most unforgettable Meltdown festivals ever and we can’t wait to share more names with you this autumn.”
Meltdown’s postponement to 2022 follows on from the announcement made earlier this week by Bluedot Festival, who are rescheduling their planned 2021 event to next year.
You can view the original article HERE.
