The SPILL Festival has now been postponed until 2021 it’s organisers have announced.

The festival, which focuses on activism and contemporary arts, had been due to take place in Ipswich this October.

However, following concerns around the coronavirus pandemic those behind the festival have decided to put it on hold for a year, with hopes high that it can be held in 2021.

This festival, which was last held in Ipswich in 2018, was due to be themed around the concept of memory this year.

The event was also expected to see the launch of the anticipated Ipswich biscuit.

A competition to find an Ipswich biscuit had been ongoing for several months with a public taste testing of the finalists having been held in the town in December.

Artist and SPILL Festival director Robert Pacitti said it would be impossible to deliver the projects for the festival in the desired way at this time.

“Each of our festivals takes time to create and involves hundreds of people in the making process,” said Mr Pacitti.

“We develop homegrown projects for SPILL over many months, co-creating them with the people of Suffolk.

“These core projects which anchor each edition of the festival and are presented alongside work shown by artists we invite from around the world, require time, care and a deep level of shared undertaking to produce.

“Our current span of projects in development for SPILL are now impacted by Covid-19 in ways which render them impossible to deliver this year at the level of quality and integrity you should always expect from the festival.”

Mr Paciti said that concerns around the role, safety and appropriateness of a festival had been taken into consideration when deciding to cancel this year’s event.

“We are thankful to all the artists, freelancers, venue partners and funders we work with for their support and understanding of this decision,” said Mr Pacitti .

“By acting now we have been able to honour all of our commissions and provide upfront support to those we would have been working with later this year, many of whom are facing very uncertain times.”

Mr Pacitti said that details of future events would be shared in due course.