Peter Gabriel warns Womad may have to cancel

Peter Gabriel has warned he may have to cancel this year's Womad festival, unless the government helps organisers get insurance.

The musician's world music festival has been running for 40 years. This year's event is scheduled for July, just three days after Covid restrictions are due to be lifted in England. 

Without insurance, said Gabriel, there is a "risk of losing everything".

A government source told the BBC they were "looking at" the issue.

Several major festivals, including Glastonbury and BST Hyde Park, have been axed for the second year running. Many more followed suit on Monday, after the government announced lockdown restrictions would be extended until 19 July.

Events like the Boomtown Fair and the Deer Shed festival said the lack of an insurance scheme was a key factor in their decision to cancel.

Such a scheme would bail them out if their events could not go ahead due to lockdown restrictions or a localised outbreak of Covid-19 cases.

"Commercial insurance has run a mile, effectively, and you can understand why," Gabriel told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, "so if we're trying to restore cultural life and normality we need a bit of help here".

"There's too much uncertainty for most festival promoters to take the risk."

Asked by Mishal Husain if Womad would have to consider cancelling without insurance, he replied: "I think we have to".

"We've been faced with bankruptcy on two occasions previous[ly] and if we're trying to secure the future of the festival, which is very important to us, and our staff, we can't risk sinking it this year.

"It is a stressful time," he added.

Gabriel, who started out as the lead singer in Genesis before launching a solo career, noted that the government could "actually make money" by acting as insurance brokers, especially if the events go ahead.

His comments come one month after a Parliamentary report criticised the government's inaction on insurance.

Julian Knight MP, who chairs the DCMS select committee, claimed music festivals had been treated "as the poor relation" by the government.

"Events need to know now whether the government will back them, or they simply won't take place this year," he continued.

In response to Gabriel's comments, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) said: "Festival organisers have so far received more than £34 million of our unprecedented £2bn bailout for the arts.

"Womad... had a £250,000 grant in the first round of funding, and more funding is being made available for those in need.

"We are doing everything we can to get them open and cultural events are included in the next round of bigger test events. We are aware about insurance concerns and looking at this for when live events can open safely and permanently."

However, Gabriel expressed frustration that sporting events like Wimbledon, Ascot and the Euros could go ahead, while music fans still faced restrictions.

"If we're doing these test events and we're doing the Euros or Ascot, let's give the festival sector a chance too. Maybe it's a different sector of the population, but they deserve a go at this as well."

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