PERFORMERS Together CIC, facilitators of the Farnham Fringe Festival, have announced that, given the radical reduction of social activity because of the coronavirus, they are scaling back significantly on planning for the Farnham Fringe Festival 2020 in June.

As most of the activity during the festival is the work of participants, Performers Together feel they can’t simply cancel June’s events. There will, however, be no Fringe brochure. The copy deadline is the end of this month, and it’s clear that they can’t meet that with any degree of confidence or reliability.

It’s impossible to know what the landscape will look like in three months’ time, so Performers Together are leaving decisions as to whether any particular June event goes ahead with those organising and hosting it.

Already certain is that the Farnham Flash Fiction Competition, which is already underway, will continue – so if you were planning to enter, there’s no need to change your mind.

Performers Together are going to maintain support for events which do go ahead. They’ll be keeping registration open, and the Fringe Festival website calendar will remain ‘live’ – with events removed, amended or added as requested, or registered, by organisers at any point up to the last week in June.

Dr Kate Napier, director, Performers Together, said: "Let’s hope that by June the landscape will be brighter and much of what is already in planning will be able to go ahead, and maybe there’ll be a flood of ‘let’s get out again’ events if the current crisis has abated.

"Sad times, but let’s be optimistic that this great community event will be able to go ahead, even if in a different kind of way. And while you’re at home with less to do than usual, get your creative hats on and enter the Flash Fiction Competition!"