In the true spirit of sustainability, the organisers of the Festival of Thrift have announced that the event is being repurposed and upcycled for 2020.
Alternative plans are being drawn up to replace the large-scale event scheduled for Kirkleatham in September by the team behind the hugely popular national celebration of sustainable living.
The festival is being given a socially-distanced makeover to allow people to enjoy the event from afar and to adapt, share, create, learn and enjoy in an alternative way.
Further details will be announced in the coming weeks after the festival team has finalised plans that are in line with government and industry guidance to be safe and responsible, and meet some of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Festival of Thrift director Stella Hall said that the decision followed weeks of careful consideration.
“This has been an extraordinary year full of unforeseen challenges and hardships for all of us and, along with our great friends and partners at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, we concluded that holding a large-scale festival in Kirkleatham will not be possible this year.
“However, although our event scheduled for Kirkleatham on September 12 and 13 2020 has been officially cancelled, in true thrifty-style we have decided instead to go ahead with a repurposed Festival.
“Sharing, creating, learning and building a sustainable community together are more relevant than ever. We have been inspired by how many communities have joined us and adapted to a new way of living, and we want to harness some of that creative sustainable spirit and share it with the world.
“As with any great upcycling project there is quite a lot of work being done in the background before the big reveal so – watch this space!”
Councillor Karen King, Deputy Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said:
“The festival looks like being every bit as good fun as the original and I love that the excellent team at the Festival of Thrift are being so true to the spirit of the project by upcycling and carrying on while responsibly sticking to any socially distancing rules.
“I’m looking forward to finding out more about the creative plans for what is really a national festival taking place right here in Redcar and Cleveland.”
Visit the ThriftFest Upcycled website for more details.
