Event organizers for the popular Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia decided to cancel the festival because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has now become clear to us that if we stage a Festival in the Park this summer, we can’t confidently ensure the health and well-being of our community – our patrons, artistic Company, staff and seasonal workers, volunteers, partners and more – in short, the more than 100,000 people who would gather together at our site and in turn, be in contact with the greater community,” a statement reads on the Bard on the Beach website. “Our first and constant priority must be a safe and healthy space for all.”

Ticket holders can either transfer their tickets to the 2021 season, convert them into a donation, or request a refund. Get details on options.

The plays that were scheduled for the 2020 festival will be performed in 2021:

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Henry V
• Love’s Labour’s Lost
• Paradise Lost

For updates, visit bardonthebeach.org. Watch video excerpts from previous performances and interviews with the actors at the Bard on the Beach’s Facebook page.

A scene from previous opening night performance of Shakespeare in Love at the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia (photo credit: Bard on the Beach)