The decision to cancel the festival was reached on the 8th of September after vote by Tamworth Region Councillors to suspend all Tamworth Regional Council run events due to the ongoing public health orders in place.

"Today is a sad day, not only for Tamworth, but for the artists, and the country music industry," Festival Manager, Barry Harley says.

"We have remained as optimistic as we could and continued with our planning in the hope that conditions would ease.

"Unfortunately, like so many others in our situation, we have had to surrender to the challenges COVID has placed on us and make the difficult decision to suspend TCMF2021."

The annual Country Music Awards of Australia as well as the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards will proceed via live-stream events.

"It is important that we continue to recognise country music talent at the 49th Toyota Golden Guitar Awards, despite not being able to hold a live event," Harley says.

"Artists have faced an extremely challenging year, but many have continued to work hard and release new music under the most difficult of circumstances, and we want to pay tribute to them by hosting a remarkable event, that is streamed far and wide so that everyone can experience the best of Australian country music."

'Golden Guitar Awards 2021':

The Golden Guitars are at the heart of it all - at the heart of the journey for both artists and fans alike. Presented by Tamworth Regional Council and the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA), The Toyota Golden Guitar Awards are the nation’s longest running music awards concert.

This annual event gives fans the opportunity to rub shoulders with the biggest names in country music and see all of their favourite artists perform in one huge show presented in Tamworth, Country Music Capital.

Normally the finale to the 10-day Toyota Country Music Festival Tamworth, the awards are much more than just the presentation of the coveted Golden Guitars; it's a fast-paced concert, showcasing the cream of Australian country music artists and the songs that have left their mark on the fans over the past 12 months.

While the Festival itself will not proceed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual presentation of the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards will still go ahead, delivered via an online stream on Saturday 23rd January, 2021 and supported by broadcast partner, the ABC.

The event will pay tribute to the Australian country music industry, which has faced an extremely challenging year whilst continuing to work hard and release new music under difficult circumstances. 

Stay tuned for further updates on this special event.