The organising Committee for Up Helly Aa have announced that the 2022 festival due to take place on Tuesday 25th January 2022 will be postponed again this year.
Due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the guidelines of hosting events and festivals during the release phases of Covid-19 it has been decided to postpone the festival until January 2023.
Up Helly Aa as an event relies on numerous factors coming together at one time to be able run smoothly and safely. Planning for the event takes place a full year ahead of each festival and despite the best efforts to continue organising the festival through the various restrictions that have been in place to date this year, it is clear now that despite the release of further restrictions there isn’t sufficient time to run the event in its normal format.
We know this will be disappointing news for many, particularly at a time when guidance is relaxing for Covid. Many questions remain however as to what life looks like for this type of event in the coming months and for that reason it’s unfair to put the responsibility on the hundreds of volunteers it takes to organise the festival.
It is only now we can start planning with some hope and confidence for the event to return in 2023.
The date of the next festival will be Tuesday 31st January 2023.