We are now starting to see events scheduled for May and June getting cancelled or postponed. However, some artists continue to fight for their late spring/summer tours to happen or haven’t officially announced the inevitable just yet. For example, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee has recently told Billboard the tour is still a go. As much as we appreciate the optimism, there’s been predictions of touring to be on hold until early next year as other events, including Broadway, remain closed until June 7th. As we expect to see nearly everything cancelled, especially major festivals, the fifteenth anniversary of Hellfest has been pushed to 2021: June 18, 19, and 20th. The Loire-Atlantique, accompanied by the Ministry of Culture, has decided to prohibit this year’s event as the festival organizers remain understanding of their decision. Unfortunately, the organizers addressed that their insurance company did not consider this type of pandemic part of their insurance policy, resulting in a major financial loss. 

Read the statement below:

“End of the uncertainties, end of the game, the State services have just confirmed to us that there will be no HELLFEST this year.

Many of you were worried about this 15th anniversary edition, but even more to show us your support in this unprecedented situation, which is hitting us all hard. We hope, like you, until the last minute, that the festival can take place.

Unfortunately, faced with the current unprecedented situation, the Prefecture of Loire-Atlantique, accompanied by the Ministry of Culture, took the only decision that was necessary, that of prohibiting it. The HELLFEST 2020 edition is therefore canceled. We share this position with them and thank them for the consideration and responsiveness they have shown towards the festival.

The more the days passed and the more it seemed impossible to us to envisage a 2020 edition guaranteeing a satisfactory organization, and, most important: your security. Realizing that the risk of contagion linked to Covid-19 will still be high in June, it would have been irresponsible and dangerous to allow tens of thousands of fans – shirtless and thirsty for beer – to gather in a perimeter that did not allow for respect the necessary social distancing. The authorities also told us that they were no longer able to put in place the usual security and rescue devices (police, emergency doctors, first aiders, etc.) necessary for any large gathering like ours.

The knot in my stomach, we finally give appointment to the 15 th anniversary edition of Hellfest 18, 19 and 20 June 2021.

If you have a 3-day Pass or a 1-day Pass for the edition to be held next June, we offer you the possibility of converting it into a pass for the 2021 edition, at no cost additional. To do this, you will simply be sent a new ticket valid for the Hellfest 2021 by e-mail shortly.

If you do not want to, or are not sure whether you can participate in the 2021 edition, you have two choices:

• Go to Ticketswap , the only official reseller of tickets valid for the festival, which also guarantees you a secure transaction. Needless to say, tickets purchased by any other means will not be valid (Viagogo, Stubhub, etc.).
  By choosing this choice, you will make many happy: a festival-goer who despaired of not being able to come this year; and our association which will be able to limit the damage and calmly prepare the 2021 edition of YOUR festival.
• A reimbursement solution will also be offered. We will soon get back to you on the different possibilities that will be offered to you, including for the specifics linked to the different transport packs (train, bus, etc.).

It is a real blow for our non-profit association as well as for our territory.

Out of respect for you, the fans who made Hellfest what it is today, we want to be as transparent as possible about the repercussions of this “forced” postponement.

From today, the association Hellfest Productions which organizes the festival every year, will have to face a certain number of difficulties. In contrast to other sectors, which will also be hard hit by a slowdown in the economy over several months, our association will have to face a “white year”. The government measures, which we welcome, will not be enough to make up for the heavy losses that the association will have to bear: salaries, general and promotional costs, bank depreciation, are all inexpressible costs that cannot be financed with a year without a festival .

Aware of the stakes and its responsibility, the Hellfest Productions association had nevertheless taken care to take out an “all except” type insurance with the aforementioned company ALBINGIA , a French insurance company with its headquarters in Levallois Perret, for the low sum of € 175,000, corresponding to the amount of the contract premium supposed to cover us from potential risks leading to a cancellation. This same insurance contract clearly stipulates that pecuniary losses due to possible pandemics will be covered, provided that the contract was signed before the appearance and recognition of this pandemic by the French authorities or by WHO. Our contract was signed on December 17, 2019, before the official appearance of the virus in China.

Only here, our dear insurance company shows to who still doubted it, that it is easier to pay contract premiums rather than to obtain compensation for damages supposed to be covered: ALBINGIA sent us an end of non receive on the pretext that this “type” of pandemic did not fall within the terms of our insurance policy.

We obviously dispute this reading and this position. For ALBINGIA, solidarity is for others, even if it means putting their policyholders at risk economically. Their reasoning is simple, take our contributions for cancellation insurance: YES, compensate us: NEVER. To do this, you just have to play on words and imagine interpretations to start a trial that will last for years. Years during which ALBINGIA will keep the sums it owes us warm. An attitude that we denounce today publicly in order to shed light on these practices that we find shameful, especially in these times.

Solidarity and respect for their commitments should be at the center of the concerns of insurers.

In short, while waiting for the start of this long procedure, two words come to this insurance company supposed to be specialized in the events and audiovisual fields: FUCK YOU!

Far from being a relief for us, this one-year postponement also puts in financial difficulty many actors without whom the festival would not take place: intermittent du spectacle, service providers, suppliers, partner associations, producers and artists. .. All count in our eyes and form a united and united family. Some of them will be seriously affected by the consequences of their loss of activity, and we sincerely wish to show them our unwavering support. We give them all a date in 2021, once this difficult parenthesis is closed.

Despite these dark times, our motivation and our will remain intact. Thanks to your support, that of our partners (well not that of insurance obviously …), that of our volunteers and all music lovers in general, we will continue to carry loud and clear the colors of extreme music , be sure!

All united to quickly find each other!

To conclude, everywhere in France, calls for donations are multiplying in order to help the nursing staff who are fighting against this pandemic. Faced with this situation, it is out of the question for us to wait with folded arms.

As a unifying event of a large community we would like to answer this call and for that we also count on YOU!

This is why we are now launching an online kitty to raise funds for the Nantes University Hospital, and we are donating € 20,000 to it. This sum corresponds to the usual intervention costs of emergency doctors on the festival, present by your side each year and which of course will not be requested in 2020.

We invite you now, if you can, to participate in this “Hellfest For Health” kitty to support Research and the teams of the Nantes University Hospital. So you will show everyone that fans of extreme music know how to show solidarity and generosity towards those who today are at the front to protect us.”

Read the full statement here.