True North Festival cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns

The 2020 True North Festival has been cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak, Communitech announced Tuesday.

In a news release, CEO Iain Klugman said Communitech made the decision in consultation with local health authorities.

"It is out of an abundance of caution, and with much disappointment, that we concluded that cancelling this year's event is the right thing to do," Klugman said in the news release.

The festival was set to take place at venues in Kitchener and Waterloo from June 1 to7.

Anyone who had already purchased a ticket will receive a full refund.

Klugman said the 2020 festival was expected to be the largest one yet, now that the ION LRT is completed.

Previously, the festival has had about 2,500 attendees, Klugman said. This year, he was expecting 25,000.

"It's a blow for the team," he said. "Everyone was very excited."

Klugman said Communitech staff look forward to the festival resuming in 2021.