Ieperfest uitgesteld naar 2022

Ook festivals in juli nemen alvast het zekere voor het onzekere. Na de drie Werchter festivals, volgt nu ook het West-Vlaamse Ieperfest met een annulering.

Kort en bondig: de nieuwe datum voor de volgende editie van Ieperfest is 1, 2 en 3 juli 2022. De vooruitzichten zijn volgens de organisatie nog te twijfelachtig om het festival dit jaar te laten doorgaan, het zou niet verantwoord zijn omdat het virus nog niet genoeg onder controle is, aldus de organisatie. De volledige mededeling (met quote van Heaven Shall Burn) is als volgt:

"Dear Ieperfest-supporters,

We guess you already know what’s coming… The fucking corona-pandemic again forces us to cancel the Ieperfest edition 2021… We hoped last year’s cancellation would be a one-time thing, but it seems we cannot control this virus enough to gather on a festival site as we did before 2020…

With the start of the vaccinations in 2021, we were really hopeful that we would be able to organize another insane Ieperfest in July. But reality hits us hard when we see the actual situation in Belgium and many other (European) countries. It is obvious that a normal festival, where we can meet our friends and go nuts in a moshpit will not be possible yet.
As we already stated last year, we refuse to organize a festival with special testing and regulations beyond our capacities. We refuse to organize a festival where people have to keep their distance from each other, where people have to walk in small groups, where people have to sit down to enjoy our music style… Can you imagine this? Can you imagine a hardcore show without a pit? Can you imagine an after-party without a party…?       
This would not be Ieperfest…

It truly sucks and as an organization, we are filled with disappointment but of course, the safety of everyone has to prevail. We managed to take many bands from the 2020 line-up to 2021 and we hope to do the same for the edition of 2022.

It is not possible for us to pick a new date later this year, so we have to postpone the 28th edition to 1-2-3 July 2022 and will work very hard to present you with another massive line-up!

If you already bought a ticket, you will be able to transfer it to the 2022 edition. If you do not want to transfer the ticket, you will get a refund. We are working closely together with our ticketing partner and they will be in touch very soon. We can only hope that many people transfer their ticket to next year…

However, we depend on your support. You can help us to get through these difficult times by saving your ticket for the 2022 edition and secure the future of Ieperfest. We are a non-profit organization and we had a few setbacks the last few years, so we need every euro to keep Ieperfest alive! We thank you for your support and understanding.

Depending on the possibilities given by the government, we might organize a smaller show, don’t know how and when yet, but we keep you posted!

May we also get some attention on De Vort’n Vis pub in Ieper, the founding youth club of Ieperfest. Pubs and bars are closed for a long time now, and believe it or not, because we all work with volunteers, our non-profit organization didn’t get ANY financial help from ANY government! So yes, we are struggling! When we can open again, please pay us a visit when you’re around and support us if you can!

At last, we want to express our gratitude and respect to all health care workers/volunteers and everybody else who is helping out the needed ones! Much respect! They are still the true heroes in these dark times.

Stay healthy and take care of each other! Hope to see you soon.

Ieperfest Crew"

"Nothing, just nothing
Nothing will wipe this heart out
And no one, just no one will break this frontline
We are, we are, we are the fighting ones
We are, we are the, we are the final resistance"
Endzeit - HEAVEN SHALL BURN