2021 Festival Coronavirus Update

Dear Sappho Women festival family!

We hope that you are all well and we want to thank you for your continued support for Sappho Women, our festival and of course the village of Skala Eressos.

We are very pleased to announce that we are still actively organising events for the 2021 International Eressos Women’s Festival since prohibitive restrictions were placed on our event last year. Although the exact details for this year’s festival are currently still being worked on, here is what we feel important to share with you already:

• Your safety and quality of experience is our highest priority. We are currently going to great lengths to develop a framework for hosting our events in a safe environment, we do this in close partnership with the local Greek authorities and health institutions. Included in this framework are a set of safety principles, such as social distancing measures, mask-wearing, cleaning regimes, food & low waste protocols. Our official 2021 festival events will all take place at an outdoor venue in Skala Eressos, Lesvos Island, Greece.
• Whilst the 2021 festival will continue to take place as planned, we would like to inform you that we are working on an adapted programme of events, one that honours the safety requirements for our activities. The festival programme of 2021 will most likely be somewhat different, and perhaps also more compacted, than what you are used to from us. If measures are eased, or perhaps even lifted, then we will make sure that this is also reflected in the final programme. We trust that you understand our position in this matter and that we are very much trying to juggle all our options to keep things safe, and still fun, for us all in 2021. More programme details will continue to be released over the next weeks.
• Since we will be offering an adapted programme this year, we have now also adjusted our wristband prices. We are now selling all 2021 wristbands at a permanent 20% discounted rate. Anyone who has purchased their 2021 wristbands at regular prices will be eligible for a refund of the difference. We will settle any such eligible refunds with you in person upcoming September. If you would like to consider making a donation to us, then this will of course be very much appreciated by us as well.
• As the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic still poses us with several measures and restrictions, we have determined that our 20th anniversary celebration should take place next year, in 2022. Sadly, many of you will still not be allowed to travel to us this year, and we feel very strongly about giving each of you the opportunity to celebrate our big anniversary edition together with us. We also believe that everyone will agree with us that celebrating, incl. hugging, kissing, dancing, and of course partying, is what we do best at our festival, and we feel confident that everyone will be able to freely and safely experience this again in September 2022. We can inform you that the dates for next year’s festival are set to: 10/09 – 24/09/2022. Wristbands for the 2022 edition will be available for purchase on our website online very soon.

Although we are doing everything in our power to provide a safe environment for you this upcoming September, this will be a shared responsibility with you, our visitors, our participants and our partners.

For you to make an informed decision that honours what is best for you, we ask that you carefully review the following recommendations set forth by ourselves, in partnership with the local authorities and health institutions.

When attending our festival in September we ask that you will agree to do so at your own risk, including when you are at risk for any of the following conditions:

• You have a pre-existing health condition or a chronic disease
• You have a compromised immune system or an immune-mediated condition
• You are currently taking three or more medications
• You are actively shielding during this pandemic for other reasons such as age

Also:

• We ask that you adhere to any travel restrictions and quarantine guidelines set forth by your country/location of origin.
• If you or someone you have been in close contact with is experiencing flu-like symptoms or has tested positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of the event, then we ask that you re-consider attending the festival. Sappho Women will honour a full refund or payment credit for wristbands for a future festival for anyone that must cancel for this specific circumstance.

If you feel that attending our festival is not right for you yet this upcoming summer, then please rest assured that we are already working on several exciting options for you to join online live streams of our official events. We will be releasing more 2021 / 2022 announcements, so make sure to stay tuned!

We really want our festival to go ahead in 2021, though we should also clarify that Sappho Women will remain entitled to cancel any event(s) at any time if this is required due to any new government guidance/restrictions. Should this most unfortunate situation become reality for us all, then we will make an official announcement of this on our website, as well as all our social media channels. You will then also be able to apply for a full, immediate refund, or we can defer your wristband purchase to our festival’s anniversary edition in 2022.

Should you wish to discuss any of the above information with us in more detail, then please contact us and a time will be arranged to answer any questions you may have.

We would like to thank you again for your continued support as we all look forward to seeing you at the 2021 International Eressos Women’s Festival this upcoming September!