Organisers of a popular Americana music festival which would have marked its third year this summer have postponed the event until next year.

The Black Deer Festival, which was due to be held at Eridge Park near Tunbridge Wells, from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21, will not now be staged until the same weekend in 2021, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

But as part of the announcement, organisers also said they were donating 1,500 tickets for NHS and key workers, as well as promising new acts to join the line-up when the event returns.

It will now be held from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21, with the line-up already confirmed for this year, including Americana pioneers Wilco, new collaboration Saving Grace featuring Robert Plant and Suzi Dian, the Waterboys, Canadian bluegrass hipsters the Dead South ad Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May.

Grammy-nominated duo the Milk Carton Kids and UK troubadour Get Cape. Wear Cape. will also play, along with folk rockers the Felice Brothers; roots music heroes Police Dog Hogan, Caroline Spence, Birds of Chicago, the Lost Brothers and Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra among the first new names to be announced for next year.

Festival co-founders Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling, said: “This announcement has taken longer than we hoped but what was so important, other than the obvious safety of our community, was to do everything we could to make sure we were able to recreate the same excitement for our line-up in 2021 that we were all looking forward to at Black Deer Festival this year.

"We’re incredibly grateful for the support of the artists and their teams in working with us to secure a line-up for 2021 equally as amazing as 2020.

Also announced today are acts for the Roadhouse Stage, curated for a second year by Desertfest promoters, Desertscene London. The Powerhouse Gospel Choir, a major highlight of the festival last year at the inaugural Gospel Brunch, are also set to return to the deer park next year.

The festival has offered current ticket holders the opportunity to roll over their ticket to 2021 and receive a limited-edition Black Deer t-shirt, transfer their ticket to a keyworker, or apply for a ticket refund. All ticket holders will be contacted directly by Black Deer’s ticket agency partners via email in the next three days.

Find out more at blackdeerfestival.com

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