Despite every effort, the Brighter Access Sapphire City Festival Committee has had to make the incredibly hard decision to cancel their 2020 schedule.
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The committee has been holding off as long as possible and are disappointed beyond words.
With uncertainty of the current COVID-19 situation, organisers felt unable to deliver an event to the standard the community has come to expect.
"As a committee, we have monitored the situation closely and the safety of the community, visitors and the harsh restrictions on outdoor gatherings has made the 2020 festival unviable," festival chair, Paul Harmon said.
"Many of the events we have come to enjoy during the festival period have elected not to run this year due to social distancing and maximum attendance numbers.
"The festival finale alone attracts 3,000 people and an outdoor event of that size is not allowable by law."
This is only the second time in 64 years that the festival has been cancelled. The previous occasion was during World War II.
Plans will get underway to ensure the 2021 festival is bigger and better, providing some events to enhance the program.
The committee thanked their valued sponsors for their patience and look forward to partnering with them next year.
The Gem and Craft Show, and the Inverell Art Prize will still go ahead, while the Ashford Salami Festival is yet to make a final determination.
Monitor the Tourism Inverell website www.inverell.com.au plus the Tourism Inverell Instagram and Facebook pages for updates and information.
