“Sunday marked the most heartbreaking day in the past twenty-six years of organising Awakenings. For the past year we poured our heart and soul into creating the most unforgettable edition of Awakenings Summer Festival," we read in a statement on the website explaining in detail what happened. Regardless of the discomfort this decision caused to attendees who travelled from Australia, the United States or Mexico to live the Awakenings experience, the festival cancelled its third day of the programme. It was a challenging decision based on the available weather and safety information at that time.
Of course, these decisions are unpleasant both for people who travel from far away wanting to see their favourite artists on stage and for the festival’s team members, who’ve been working non-stop for more than a year to make these three days something unique and unrepeatable. But, as they say in the statement, the decision to cancel the event was a collective agreement among the Hilvarenbeek municipality, Beekse Bergen, Awakenings, and Health and Safety Authorities.
“That the weather subsequently changed is a testament to the unpredictability of such conditions. It also indicates how painful the decision was,” they add while standing fully behind that decision after learning about the impact the hail, lightning and storm had around that area. “We extend our gratitude to all those who have reached out, offering messages of support and understanding. It devastates us to read and see the negative comments about this decision. We know you're hurt, we know you're upset. We are too.” We don’t have much more to say about a decision that has to do with the responsibility of guaranteeing the safety of the audience and the staff members, which we fully support.