CORONAVIRUS: Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2020 cancelled

Organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival have cancelled the event because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Now in its 21st year, the six day celebration of Speyside’s distilling tradition was planned to

take place from April 29- May 4.

The festival welcomes thousands of international and domestic visitors to Speyside.

The decision to cancel the 2020 Whisky Festival reflects the quickly-evolving situation as a result of the Covid-19 virus and recommendations from the Scottish Government to restrict public gatherings as a preventative measure.

Ticket holders will be contacted as soon as possible by the whisky festival team and refunds will be at the discretion of individual event providers.

James Campbell, chairman, said: “In response to the escalating situation with Covid-19, the board of directors have decided that this year's festival is cancelled as a preventative measure.

"Our festival welcomes visitors from across the globe to the region each year and it is our priority to keep both our visitors and the local community safe.

“We very much regret the inconvenience that this will cause our visitors, event providers, members, partners and local communities, and trust that everyone will fully understand why we have had to make this decision.”

Meanwhile, due to the current situation and guidelines issued, all library activities held in Moray Libraries are now cancelled until further notice. This includes reading groups, storytimes, Bookbug sessions, job clubs, code clubs, ICT courses, ICT help hubs and ECDL tuition.

A spokesperson said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience but the safety of our customers and staff are our utmost priority. Stay safe."

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