Port Fairy Show cancelled for 2021

The annual event has been cancelled for 2021 due to restrictions in relation to the latest COVID situation.

The first show was held in Port Fairy in 1854, with the calling off of the 2020 event the very first cancellation of the traditional community celebration.

Port Fairy Show president Everline Jackway said the decision to cancel again in 2021 was a difficult one.

"Unfortunately we won't be proceeding with the show this year, it's very disappointing," Ms Jackway said.

"There is just so much uncertainty around events and holding a show takes a lot of hard work.

"We just don't know when the next lockdown may arrive and all that hard work is wasted.

"We have already put a lot of time in, we had a COVID plan ready, but we didn't want to wait until the last minute to pull the pin.

"We held off as a long as we could but there is no certainty around large gatherings.

"It costs a lot of money to put a show on, it's not cheap, so we needed to make a decision before we went any further."

The Port Fairy Show was to be held on November 6.

While the show will not go on for 2021, the show committee is hopeful its ability to fundraise will continue.

The committee hosts a farmer's market at Railway Place in Port Fairy each fortnight, while it also sets up the showgrounds as a camping ground for the Port Fairy Folk Festival each March.

While the farmer's markets have been able to continue through most of the pandemic, the cancellation of the 2021 folk festival was a financial blow.

The festival is planned to proceed in 2022, which Mrs Jackway said was a positive for her committee to look forward to.

"The committee is a dedicated team of volunteers which works really hard," Mrs Jackway said.

"There is so much work put into community events like the show so hopefully things can start returning to normal soon."

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