The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the Rockin’ River Music Festival in Merritt last summer and the festival’s president is saying it likely won’t happen this August either.

“I have to be honest, I think the odds of us having a full scale festival are pretty slim at this point which breaks our heart because for the last thirteen years we’ve had a festival every [August] Long Weekend,” Kenny Hess said.

“We’ve had so many great people from all over B.C., all over Canada and all over the world come and join and us in our beautiful little neck of the woods there in Merritt, British Columbia.

The 2020 edition of the festival was to be headlined by Grammy-award winner Keith Urban along with Jon Pardi, Chris Janson, Travis Tritt, and Randy Houser. Hess previously told NL News that Keith Urban wasn’t available this year, but he’s hoping he will be back for the 2022 festival.

“We’d sure like to see it happen this year,” he added. “We have all the entertainment booked and they’re all standing by, but you know with COVID right now it doesn’t look good.”

While organizers don’t want to pull the plug on the festival just yet, Hess says even as COVID-19 vaccinations increase, it is hard to be optimistic with the deadline date for cancelling less than a month away.

“If there’s a major change by April 15th, we might be able to get something going on. But as you can tell, a month away, or not even a month away is a pretty tight schedule,” Hess said. “Again, having said that I don’t want to say we’re absolutely are not having it.

“As much as we hate to lose the entertainment of it and the party of it, I also know that we’re losing a lot of income. It’s a huge financial burden to maintain the property and everything else so we need the festival to go on.”

Hours after Hess spoke on the NL Morning News, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said concerns about a third wave ramping up means there won’t be any large concerts this year.

“Things like international travel, international gatherings, large festivals that have people coming from multiple places are not likely to happen this year,” she said. “The risk anywhere is a risk everywhere, so we’re not immune to that.”

Henry also says as long as daily new case numbers hover around 500, most public safety orders could stay in effect at least two more months.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for artists around the world, and that is something Hess knows about firsthand.

“Aside from being the promoter, I’ve been a touring musician for over 40 years,” he said. “Since I was 15 years old, that’s all I’ve done. I had 155 show cancelled last year so we’re bored out of our minds, we can’t wait to get back and sing.”

– With files from Marcella Bernardo, News1130