Africa-Press – Malawi. Lake of Stars Festival will not take place this year, organisers have said. A press statement says, after much careful consideration and following advice from the government, regional developments and international guidelines including World Health Organisation and other global bodies, Lake of Stars team has decided not to organise the annual festival this year.
Its failure to take place this year means that it will now be two years without the festival The last time Lake of Stars was held was in 2019 and it took place at Kachere Kastle in Nkhata Bay.
“The international tourism, travel and festival industries are still finding it very challenging to operate at full capacity due to effects of Covid and reported new variants. The Lake of Stars team has decided to postpone the event until 2022,” the statement reads.
The statement further says that, this year, many countries including Malawi rolled out vaccines and that “as we continue to support preventive measures taken against the pandemic, participate in initiatives such as Masks 4 All Malawi, we would like to adhere to guidelines and advice as stated and postpone the festival”.
Lake of Stars Project Manager Sharmilla Elias said, just like the fans, they also miss the energy of the festival. “We hope to host the festival next year. During this time, as we closely monitor new developments of preventive measures against the pandemic, we will focus on exploring other event ideas, promoting other projects and finding new ways to support Malawi’s incredible artists,” Elias said.
She said that this year, Lake of Stars team delivered a successful second edition of the European Film Festival, followed by workshops, with support from European Union in May.
“We will continue to develop and support new projects that add value to the growth of Malawian arts, film, culture and tourism industry,” Elias said. She then hailed fans and partners for their support to the festival.
“We encourage everyone to do what is necessary to bend the curve of Covid throughout the world. Let’s meet and reconnect in 2022. Watch out for announcements,” Elias said. Lake of Stars Festival started at Chintheche Inn in Nkhata Bay in 2004 and the brains behind the festival is Will Jameson.
Lake of Stars Festival joins Blantyre Arts which will also not take place this year due to Covid. Baf has also missed out for two years and has indicated that it will come back next year.
