Terminal V festival postponed due to fears of rising COVID cases

Edinburgh festival Terminal V has decided to postpone its two-day event amid fears of rising cases of COVID-19 cases and increased risk of transmission.

In a statement released on Thursday, festival organisers confirmed that they would be postponing the Halloween event until Easter 2022 amid COVID-19 cases rising and an increase in concern.

Read this next: Raveheart: How house music exploded in Scotland

Terminal V is one of the UK’s largest indoor festivals and was due to take place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, on October 30 and 31. Around 40,000 people were due to attend.

The festival has fallen victim to cancellation due to the pandemic before, being forced to cancel their 2020 and summer 2021 shows due to COVID-19 uncertainty.

The line-up includes dance music legends such as Amelie Lens, Nina Kraviz and Honey Dijon.

Read this next: Amelie Lens is a techno phenomenon

Organisers clarified that they were in talks with local authorities and partner agencies, who concluded that due to the enormous scale of the event, there would be a much higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Festival directors Derek Martin and Simon McGrath said they were "devasted" in a statement.

"Almost two years of passion and fierce determination has been poured into the planning and logistics of this event. We are loyal to our fanbase and customers, it has been an incredibly tough two years without events, and our aim was to put on a show, unlike any other seen in Scotland to date. We are so gutted to see thousands in sheer disappointment over this."

"It’s not only heartbreaking to us but also the 1500+ jobs that will be lost over the week, the 10,000+ cancelled hotel rooms and our aim to boost the local economy is lost. We have invested heavily in not only bringing International Talent to the stage in Scotland but also in the incredible production value of this event."

Read this next: How to help clubs reopen safely and for the long haul

"To know that a mere 5 miles along the road, 60,000 fans will be able to watch the Rugby at Murrayfield on the same day as we had Terminal V on, and to see dance events like ours being singled out as high risk. Also, October 1 marks the launch of vaccine passports in Scotland, a supposed way of ensuring large indoor events like Terminal V can go ahead during these new times."

"The accumulation of all these factors makes this full situation really hard to bear. All we can do here is come back stronger, together for our return in April 2022 and make the experience even better for all attendees."

On Instagram, DJs, fans and attendees have expressed their sadness and support regarding the decision. Others were frustrated by the news.

DJ Alan Fitzpatrick, who was billed to play at the event, wrote in a comment, “So sad to read this. Feel so sorry for you guys. Just think how good the return of Terminal V will be. Keep positive and we WILL be back stronger. Love you guys.”

Read this next: The Lab LDN with Alan Fitzpatrick

One attendee commented under the Instagram announcement, “Give us a refund then”.

Ticket holders will automatically have their tickets transferred to the updated Easter 2022 dates.

An announcement is expected to be made about a different, smaller, event which has been permitted to take place at Edinburgh O2 Academy where priority will be given to Terminal V ticket holders.

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter