Life and Body&Soul festivals cancelled

(Above) Belvedere House and Gardens, where Life festival was scheduled to take place next month.

The two biggest outdoor concerts scheduled to take place in Westmeath this summer have been cancelled after the government announced yesterday/last Tuesday that all gatherings of over 5,000 were banned until September.

The promoters behind Life, which has taken place in Belvedere House and Gardens since 2010, officially announced yesterday evening that this year's instalment of the event would not be going ahead. The three day event was scheduled to take place from May 22 to 24.

"We fully support the government's decision. The safety of our audience and staff is our priority. We want to take this opportunity to thank frontline workers who are working extremely hard to keep us all safe."

Last year's festival attracted over 15,000 fans. This year's bill was to include some of the biggest names in electronic music such as Carl Cox and Eric Prydz.

The organisers of Body and Soul, which takes place each June in the grounds of Ballinalough Castle outside Delvin, also announced yesterday evening that this year's three day festival was cancelled.

In a statement posted on its social media platforms, the founding director of the festival Avril Stanley said that she was "heartbroken" to confirm that this year's event would not be going ahead.

"While the impact of this decision creates ripples throughout our creative community spread across the globe, Body&Soul’s top priority lies in keeping its artists, attendees, staff and extended community healthy and safe, and we absolutely respect the government’s decision and the steps it must take to protect everyone amidst this unprecedented crisis."

Last year, 10,000 people attended the event. This year's line-up was to include Róisín Murphy and Metronomy.