A unanimous decision has been made by the organisers of Falmouth’s International Sea Shanty Festival over this year's event.

In a joint statement issued this afternoon, they said that this year's event, due to take place on June 11 to 13 would instead take place over one day only, in virtual room.

This will be on Saturday, June 19 from 6pm and available to view live over Facebook and YouTube.

The organisers said: "In respect of the current situation with coronavirus (Covid-19) and given that the festival normally attracts in excess of 65,000 people, it would not be feasible to go ahead with the physical plans for this year."

The virtual evening will be presented by Betty Stogs, John Warren, and Falmouth town manager Richard Gates, in the Cornwall Channel Studios.

The event will offer a selection of live and pre-recorded performances, alongside competitions, fabulous footage of Falmouth from 3Deep Aerial, and in true shanty tradition, will raise money for the Sea Shanty’s chosen charity, the RNLI and future festivals.

Richard Gates, festival chairman, said: “This is a challenging time, not only for the UK but for many countries and we thank you for your understanding in what for all of us, is an unprecedented and unexpected environment.

"It hasn’t been an easy decision to go virtual for a second year running, but the safety of the public is paramount, and we think everyone will understand why we have taken this decision.”

He said he hoped for support from the town and all festival-goers over the decision, as the town looked onward to plans for next year’s Shanty Festival.

"I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their continued support and an additional thanks to Skinners and Seasalt for their ongoing commitment as well as all the other sponsors involved in the festival," he added.

John Warren, vice chairman and one of the Sea Shanty Festival founders, agreed: “We could not under any circumstance, predict with any degree of certainty that this fabulous event could go ahead in the manner and scale that makes it so uniquely popular. We have therefore unanimously vowed that the festival will return bigger and better as soon as it is safe to do so."

For anyone wanting to get a taste of what to expect at the virtual event see the video below:

For any groups wanting to take part in the event email groups@falmouthseashanty.co.uk Further details will be announced in due course.

Future festival dates are June 17 to 19, 2020 and June 16 to 18, 2023.

It is hoped that Falmouth Classics will currently be going ahead on June 11 to 13 and will feature a dedicated three-day regatta with heritage and classic sailing from a variety of boats across the Falmouth Harbour and Carrick Roads www.falmouthclassics.org.uk The dates coincide with the G7 Summit coming to Cornwall, with Falmouth hosting the International Media Centre and Carbis Bay welcoming the delegates.