This is the email that was sent to all registrants on March 14, 2020:

Dear Lyrids festival registrants,

Thank you all for registering in a timely manner. We were going to have such a fabulous festival! However, due to COVID-19, we are hitting the pause button. The teachers and band* have agreed to do the festival on the weekend of April 23-25, 2021. We can all look forward to that! I have now to update the website.

If you pre-ordered the 2019 Lyrids Festival DVD, it will be mailed to the mailing address on your registration form ~ April 24. I know you will all enjoy reliving that amazing festival!

You undoubtedly wonder — what happens to my registration fees? Here are your options:

  1. You can leave your registration and fees with us to reserve your place in Lyrids Festival 2021. This is easy, and also protects you from any possible rate increase.
  2. You can request a full refund, which we will issue you as soon as possible. Methods for refunds are listed below.

Methods for refunds:

  • For Canadians
    • Cheque sent to your mailing address on your registration form.
    • E-transfer sent to your email address. We are currently checking with VanCity to be sure this is possible.
    • PayPal sent to your email address. I believe, you will pay a small fee to PayPal when funds received.
  • For Americans
    • PayPal sent to your email address. I believe, you will pay a small fee to PayPal when funds received.
    • US dollar draft sent to your mailing address on your registration form. I believe the bank charges for bank drafts, so we are hoping not to have too many of these.

Please let us know, via a response to this e-mail, which option you prefer and how you want to receive your refund if any. Note: if you leave your registration with us and decide next year that you are not able to attend, the normal cancellation policy will take effect. The full cancellation policy is at the bottom of https://lyridsfolkdancefestival.org/fees/. The important excerpt is “For cancellations three weeks or earlier than the start of festival: Full refund.”

You are probably aware that musicians and other performers are also being affected by COVID–19-related cancellations.  They are losing performances and gigs that they depend on to pay their bills.  Folk dance instructors like our guest instructors are taking a loss during the period of time that they can’t teach.

If you would like to defray some of this hardship for them, and if you can afford it, we invite you to make a contribution that we will pass on to our musicians Osem i Devet with Miamon Miller and to our guest teachers Tineke and Maurits van Geel.

There are two ways to do this:

  1. Designate some of this year’s registration to go to them.  (Please tell us whether you want us to keep the balance towards next year’s Lyrids, or you wish us to refund it to you.)
  2. Send us funds to relay to them. See payment options below.

Please tell us if you want us to split your donation evenly between the band and the teachers, or whether you wish all of it to go to one or the other.

Note: We are a non-profit society but do not have charitable status.
Also: Please send your donations by April 24 so we can relay them to the teachers and musicians at the end of April.

Methods for payments:

  • For Canadians
    • Send cheque payable to Lyrids Folk Dance Festival and mail to
      Bev Neilson
      560 Orkney Court
      Coquitlam, BC  V3J 6P7
    • Send e-transfer to finance@burnabyfolkdance.org
  • For Americans
    • Send donation using the PayPal form on the Lyrids Festival Register page: https://lyridsfolkdancefestival.org/register/. Note that we will be charged a small fee from PayPal.
    • Send US dollar check made payable to Lyrids Folk Dance Festival and mail to
      Bev Neilson
      560 Orkney Court
      Coquitlam, BC  V3J 6P7, Canada

All of the above is going to take organization and time. Fortunately current spreadsheet technology will take care of the organization. As for time, please be patient.

On behalf of the Lyrids Festival committee (Bev, Chrisanne, Dale, Jane, Judith, Lori, Melanie), thank you for your empathy and understanding.

Dale Adamson
Lyrids Folk Dance Festival

*Michael Lawson will organize the band which, depending upon availability, might have a slightly different mix of members.