One of the largest music festivals in Montana has cancelled for this summer. The Red Ants Pants Festival in White Sulpher Springs announced Thursday that they will not hold this year's festival scheduled for July 23-26, 2020.

They already have next year's dates set, which will be the festival's 10th Anniversary, for July 22-25, 2021. In announcing the decision to cancel, festival producer and Red Ants Pants Foundation Executive Director Sarah Calhoun issued the following statement:

“It is with heavy hearts we have made a difficult, but we feel the most responsible, decision to cancel the 2020 Red Ants Pants Music Festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's is the entire letter the festival posted on their website:

Friend,

While we had hoped to be bringing you an amazing lineup release party online on Saturday to launch the opening of 2020 ticket sales, we find ourselves needing to send a different message instead.

The Red Ants Pants Music Festival, in consultation with local health officials and the Red Ants Pants Foundation Board of Directors, announced today that the 2020 festival will be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This summer would have marked the 10th festival, which is now scheduled for July 22 – 25, 2021.

Coming up on Saturday at 7 p.m. MDT, we hope you’ll still join us on Facebook for an online event featuring a special message from festival producer, Sarah Calhoun, along with several past festival performers who will join in as surprise guests! The music and messages can be viewed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/redantspantsmusicfestival.

In announcing the difficult decision, festival producer and Red Ants Pants Foundation Executive Director Sarah Calhoun issued the following statement:

“It is with heavy hearts we have made a difficult, but we feel the most responsible, decision to cancel the 2020 Red Ants Pants Music Festival in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are a homegrown, volunteer-driven festival based in a community of 900 people with the goal of bringing good folks together to celebrate rural Montana. While we are a small, tight-knit community, we know a global pandemic doesn’t stop at the county line.

To prioritize the health and safety of our hometown, fans, musicians, volunteers, and staff, we are pushing pause on the 2020 festival and will look forward to putting on our best festival ever in 2021.

Right now, we are turning our attention away from the logistics of planning a festival and instead toward finding ways, through the work of the Red Ants Pants Foundation, to help ease the strain of this pandemic.

As you may know, the festival is an offshoot of an apparel company, Red Ants Pants, which has been in discussions with multiple entities to determine whether the company’s Made in America manufacturing know-how can help with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for front line workers.

We are continuing to monitor recommendations from the CDC and staying in close contact with our local authorities.

It is possible that the Red Ants Pants Music Festival will produce events such as barn or street dances in the interim, but we will ultimately assess those opportunities as conditions evolve, based on the health and safety of our fans and our community.

The heart of our decision is centered on you, our Red Ants Pants community, and ensuring we can collectively remain strong and connected for years to come.

Please save the date for the 10th Red Ants Pants Music Festival:
July 22 – 25, 2021!

Proceeds from the festival fuel the Red Ants Pants Foundation’s mission of increasing women’s leadership, supporting working family farms and ranches, and enriching rural communities.

We can’t wait to get the bands back together.”

The Red Ants Pants Music Festival is the primary annual fundraising event of the Red Ants Pants Foundation and its work to increase women’s leadership, support working family farms and ranches and enrich rural communities.

Thanks to ongoing support over the last ten years, ticket sales and donations at Red Ants Pants Music Festivals have fueled more than $110,000 in mission-based community grants, helped launch a successful girls leadership program and sponsored numerous timber skills trainings. This year’s cancellation due to COVID-19 will have a significant impact on the organization. The Foundation is gratefully welcoming donations to help continue to offer its 2020 programs. Right now, the Foundation’s Girls Leadership Program is continuing through remote workshops and Timber Skills Workshops are scheduled for September 10 – 13, 2020.

Thank you for all of your support. Stay well and stay in touch!

With love,
Sarah and the Red Ants Pants Music Festival Team

 

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