Dear Friends,
After a hopeful couple of months we have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel Elderflower Fields 2020.
Back in March when all of this seemed new, we were optimistic that we would be able to run the festival in September and incredibly grateful that so many of you were happy to join us at Pippingford for the rescheduled dates in late summer.
Sadly, in the intervening months, it has become apparent that running the festival this year won’t be feasible due to the extraordinary and unavoidable consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, beyond the control of the event organisers. It is still unclear when mass gatherings will again be allowed to take place this year, and we cannot be confident that we will be able to safely run the festival in September. As a small independent organisation, we cannot continue to plan with such large risks, so are now focussing on the 2021 festival.
Despite missing out this summer, we’re still planning to celebrate next year’s festival as our 10th birthday. Most of the previously confirmed performers and activities for this year will be transferred to 2021, but we’re also excited to plan the wildest and most exciting Elderflower Fields yet!We are and have always been independent. For us, this means a truly family focussed festival, free from pressures to buy stuff and full of wonderful activities and performances, deeply connected with nature, which will inspire and entertain kids. We’ve resisted pressure to commercialise or grow the size of the event in recent years because we believe it makes for a more positive and transformative experience for kids.
All ticket holders should have received an email fully outlining the process for rolling tickets forward to 2021, receiving refunds and making donations. Please keep an eye on your inboxes and junk mail folders. All the information contained in the email is also posted below. The default position is that all 2020 tickets will be transferred to the 2021 event. Refunds are available to those that need them, but by holding onto your ticket you will be supporting Elderflower Fields as an independent, family organisation at this difficult time.
We’re really going to miss you all this summer, but it won’t be long until we can celebrate together again. In the meantime, please look after each other and we wish good health to you and your families.
With love from the Elderflower Fields team.
Until very recently we had still been hoping and planning to run Elderflower Fields on our rescheduled dates in September, but we have to balance two significant considerations.
Firstly, and most importantly the health and safety of everyone involved. With little guidance from the government on what the situation might look like, it’s difficult to plan the safety and management of the festival, both in terms of everyone on site, but also in a way which wouldn’t put additional pressure on local resources and emergency services.
Secondly, we have ‘sunk costs’ including salaries, overheads and deposits. Like many organisations, we are utilising the government’s furlough scheme. We have to look carefully at whether we continue investing money in an event which may not be allowed to take place, or reduce every possible expenditure until we can be confident that we will be able to run the festival safely.
Reluctantly, we feel that the balance is now tipped and the financial and safety risks of running an event in September are too big for us to accommodate.
We’re happy to confirm that Elderflower Fields will take place at Pippingford Park on the second May bank holiday weekend. The dates are 28th-31st May 2021.
You have two options:
If you are able to keep your tickets for 2021, we would be hugely grateful and you will be supporting an independent, family run festival in what is a very difficult time for the sector. You’ll also be keeping the best price for your tickets. Due to the tiering of ticket prices, your tickets will be cheaper than any which you’ll be able to buy at a later date.
Firstly, thank you so much – we really appreciate your continued support.
For your main festival tickets, you don’t need to do anything – they will automatically be transferred to Elderflower Fields 2021. Other paid for tickets, including live in vehicle pitches, park & pitch and paid activities will also be automatically transferred to Elderflower Fields 2021.
Some of you had already been in touch to request transferring your tickets to 2021 (thank you!). You do not need to do anything further, but some of the information you received is now superseded by this latest update. You won’t receive anything further from Ticketsellers until we issue all barcoded tickets later in the year. You can however check in to your Ticketsellers account to view your tickets at any time. We will also now be transferring all add-on tickets (pre-booked activities) to 2021, rather than refunding by default (see below). If you need to claim a refund on a specific activity for some reason, it is possible to do this by logging into your Ticketsellers account and choosing from the options next to each ticket.
If you were an Elderflower Fields Midlands ticket holder, and chose to exchange your tickets to Elderflower Fields South in September, you can now choose to either transfer your tickets to Elderflower Fields South (28th-31st May 2021), transfer to Elderflower Fields Midlands (11th-13th June 2021), or claim a refund. The default position will be that your tickets now transfer to Elderflower Fields Midlands. If you would like to swap to Elderflower Fields South, please contact us to let us know before 12th July. If you now wish to claim a refund on any of your tickets, you can do this by selecting from the options in your Ticketsellers account.
We appreciate that everyone is in a difficult position at the moment and by transferring your tickets to 2021, you will really be helping us out. However, if you would like to and are able to support us further, you can choose to donate the value of any paid tickets to support the festival. To do this, please login to your Ticketsellers account and choose from the ticket options available. Any donations would be gratefully received and will help Elderflower Fields weather these tricky times.
You don’t need to do anything. For kids who have turned 4 by next year’s festival, we will honour the tickets and you can use them at the 2021 event without needing to upgrade.
LOVEABELL – All Loveabell bookings will be transferred to 2021. If you have paid in full and are unable transfer your festival tickets to 2021, please contact hello@loveabell.co.uk.
VINTENTS – If you booked a glamping package with Vintents, you can transfer your tickets to the 2021 event. They will be sending you a separate email outlining your options. If you have any specific enquiries, please email harry@vintents.co.uk.
BLACK DOG TIPIS – If you booked a glamping package with Black Dog Tipis, you can transfer your tickets to the 2021 event. They will be sending you a separate email outlining your options. If you have any specific enquiries, please email francis@blackdogtipis.co.uk.
If you have booked spa treatments with Olive Branch Spa, you can either transfer your tickets to 2021, or request a refund. If you would like to transfer your tickets to next year’s festival, you don’t need to do anything. If you need a refund, please email info@olivebranchmobilespa.co.uk before 12th July.
All live in vehicle tickets and park and pitch tickets will be automatically rolled over to 2021. If you are transferring your festival tickets to 2021, you don’t need to do anything further. If you are unable to join us in May 2021 and require a refund for your live in vehicle or park & pitch tickets, you must login to your Ticketsellers account and claim the refund before 12th July 2020.
Free car parking tickets will be automatically rolled over to 2021. You do not need to do anything further. If you forgot to book a car parking ticket and are joining us in 2021, please ensure you book one as it is essential in helping us plan and manage the car parks at the festival.
All free activities will need to be rebooked later in the year. This is because we need to confirm sessions times and other details with the various organisations running the activities. As in previous years, we will notify all ticket holders once activities for 2021 are available to book, which will likely be in January.
All paid for pre-booked activities (mountain boarding, tree climbing, Nightjars walk, animation workshop, beer tasting, gin workshop & camera obscura) will be automatically transferred to 2021. If you are joining us next year, you don’t need to do anything. If you are unable to join us in May 2021 and require a refund for your paid activity tickets, you must login to your Ticketsellers account and claim the refund before 12th July 2020.
If you booked kayaking lessons or hire, your booking will be transferred to the 2021 festival and you don’t need to do anything further. If you are unable to transfer your festival tickets to 2021, please contact info@thekayakcoach.com.
If you have a free carer’s ticket and you are transferring other tickets to 2021, you do not need to do anything else. Your tickets will still be valid for the 2021 festival.
We are sorry that you aren’t able to join us at Pippingford Park in May next year, but hope to see you again at some point.
To claim a refund you need to login to your Ticketsellers account and choose the option to refund next to each of your tickets.
If you would like a refund, we ask that you please do this by 12th July 2020. We will not be able to process refund requests after this date.
If you need a refund, you must login to your Ticketsellers account and claim it before the 12th July 2020. After this date, all festival tickets will automatically transfer to 2021. We will not be able to process refund requests after the 12th July.
After you have selected the options for a refund in your Ticketsellers account, please allow up to 28 days to receive the refund into your bank account.
If you have any other questions, please email hello@elderflowerfields.co.uk in the first instance. Please be patient though as it may take us longer than usual to get back to you.
