BROCKVILLE, ONT. -- Add the 1000 Islands Regatta and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival to the ongoing list of cancellations in the Seaway region due to COVID-19.
On Tuesday, a post on the 1000 Islands Regatta Facebook page confirmed the 2020 event will not take place this year.
The hydroplane racing and concert event was scheduled to take place June 23 to 28 in Brockville, but restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic makes it "impossible to stage an event at this time," according to the post.
The committee in charge of the event is looking forward to a return in 2021.
On Wednesday, a statement from the St. Lawerence Shakespeare Festival confirmed that the start of the 2020 season has been postponed.
Two shows were set to open at the Kinsmen Amphitheatre in Prescott on July 10.
"We truly regret these amazing stories and artistic visions will not be will not be shared with our audiences this year, our 18th season," said the festival's artistic director, Richard Sheridan Willis. "This was an upsetting decision to make but the only option available to us in the current conditions. The health and safety of our artists, audience, and community are paramount at this time."
If you have purchased 2020 tickets or Friendship Passes, you can choose from a range of options including credit toward the 2021 season, donation opportunities, and refunds.
The festival plans to run the two postponed productions in the 2021 season, while the company hopes to stage the musical Mary Poppins this fall.
"We look forward to delivering these to you once more when the shadow of COVID-19 has lifted," Sheridan Willis said.
