Northern Beaches Council today made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Manly Jazz Festival due to uncertainty around COVID-19 restrictions.

State and federal government restrictions currently prevent any festival activity and require 1.5m social distancing in public places. These restrictions look to be in place for the foreseeable future.

Mayor Michael Regan said the decision to cancel the event planned for the October long weekend was not made lightly.

“We know how loved the Manly Jazz Festival is, people come from far and wide to enjoy three days of great music right on the beachfront,” Mayor Regan said.

“Unfortunately it’s simply not possible to host such an outdoor event and ensure restrictions are complied with.

“Our top priority has to be to keep people safe.

“A festival like Manly Jazz is months and months in the planning so while we have held off making the decision until now, we can’t do so any longer.

“We thank the community for their understanding and look forward to coming back bigger than ever in 2021.”

Manly Jazz follows the cancellation of other major Australian music festivals including Bluesfest and Splendour In The Grass.