UK’s Glastonbury Festival Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Pandemic😔

The live music business has taken a hammering from the outbreak of the Coronavirus this year and one of the world’s largest and longest-running music festivals has become the latest to announce the cancellation of its 2020 edition.

The UK’s iconic Glastonbury Festival is officially not going ahead this year.

Set to take place in late June in Somerset, UK and featuring headline performances from Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney, organisers Michael and Emily Eavis issued a statement

“This was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option,” they said.

“THERE WILL ALSO INEVITABLY BE SEVERE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS AS A RESULT OF THIS CANCELLATION – NOT JUST FOR US, BUT ALSO THE FESTIVAL’S CHARITY PARTNERS, SUPPLIERS, TRADERS, LOCAL LANDOWNERS AND OUR COMMUNITY.”

MICHAEL & EMILY EAVIS

They also said that 2020 “will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival,” and that the 135,000 people who have already paid deposits are guaranteed the opportunity to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2021.

“The cancellation of this year’s Festival will no doubt come as a terrible blow to our incredible crew and volunteers who work so hard to make this event happen,” they added.

“There will also inevitably be severe financial implications as a result of this cancellation – not just for us, but also the Festival’s charity partners, suppliers, traders, local landowners and our community.”

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The event’s cancelation follows a string of high profile cancellations due to the outbreak of the virus, including  this year’s South by Southwest in Austin and Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, as well as Goldenvoice’s postponement of Coachella and Stage Coach until October.

Last week, Live Nation, AEG, CAA, WME, Paradigm and UTA issued a joint statement suggesting that all major events in the US, and countries deemed level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), should be postponed through the end of March due to the Coronavirus outbreak.