Festivals, Concerts and Other Events Canceled or Postponed Due to Coronavirus Fears

The fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues to hit the world of entertainment particularly hard as the number of events either being postponed or canceled outright continues to add up. Officials in some states have banned large gatherings to promote "social distancing" efforts aimed at keeping the virus at bay.

"We would recommend that there not be large crowds," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told congressional lawmakers on March 11. "If that means not having any people in the audience when the NBA plays, so be it."

Here's a list of some of the high profile concerts and festivals that have been impacted because of the virus.

FESTIVALS

The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, scheduled to be held in October in Ferrum, Virginia, has been canceled.
Munich's world-famous Oktoberfest has been canceled, city officials announced on April 21. "It is a sad day for me," the lord mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter said. "To not have the highlight of the year take place is a bitter pill."
Comic-Con 2020 has been canceled for the first time in its 50-year history, a spokesman said in a statement Friday. The event is scheduled to return to the San Diego Convention Center in July 2021.
The New Orleans Jazz Fest 2020 announced that its fall reschedule date has been cancelled and the next concert won't occur until 2021.
The Hangout Fest, scheduled for May 15-17, has been moved to May 2021.This year’s lineup was set to feature various artists, include Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion and Lana Del Rey.
The Burning Man music festival will now take place virtually organizers announced April 10. More than 70,000 people were expected to flood Nevada's Black Rock desert from Aug. 30 through Sept. 7
The Rolling Loud Festival, scheduled for May 8-11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, has been moved to February 2021.
The Edinburgh International Festival, launched in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II as an attempt to reconcile people and nations through the performing arts, has been canceled. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which celebrates comedy and theater, was also canceled. Both events were scheduled to run from Aug. 7 through Aug. 31 in their namesake Scottish city.
The Boston Calling Festival, which was scheduled for May 22-24, has been canceled, organizers announced March 31. The festival's website now lists the date as May 28-30, 2021, which is next year's show.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the CMA Fest that was scheduled for June 4-7 in Nashville has been canceled. Ticketholders planning to attend this year's event can use their tickets at the 2021 festival or seek a refund.

The Beale Street Musical Festival which happens in Memphis, Tennessee, has been rescheduled for Oct. 16 through Oct. 18. It was originally set for May 1 through May 4.

The 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, which was set to run from July 1-6 in New Orleans, has been postponed until 2021.

The Firefly Music Festival scheduled for June 18-21 in Dover, Delaware has been canceled.
France's Cannes Film Festival, arguably the world’s most prestigious film festival and cinema’s largest annual gathering, has postponed its 73rd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers of the French Riviera festival, scheduled to take place May 12-23, said Thursday that they are considering moving the festival to the end of June or the beginning of July.

The Tribeca Film Festival has been postponed, organizers announced Thursday. The festival was set to run April 15-26 in New York City. The event officials said the will describe their plans in more detail at a later date.

PaleyFest, the Paley Center for Media's television festival, has been postponed, the organizers announced Wednesday. The event was scheduled to kick off at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 14. The Paley Center has not picked a new date yet.

The Coachella and Stagecoach musical festivals, which were scheduled for April in Indio, California, have been canceled. They were originally postponed to October.

Austin city officials canceled the South by Southwest arts and technology festival that had been scheduled for March 13-22. The announcement comes days after several high-profile companies, including Netflix, tech news outlet Mashable, video-based social media platform TikTok and U.S. chipmaker Intel, pulled out of the festival.
Miami's annual Winter Music Conference was canceled, organizers announced Monday (March 9), following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' state of emergency declaration earlier in the day. WMC had been scheduled for March 16-19.
Also canceled in Miami was the Ultra Music Festival. Among the scheduled performers were Afrojack, Major Lazer, Zedd, David Guetta, Flume, DJ Snake, and Armin Van Buuren.
In Los Angeles, the TCM Classic Film Festival was canceled, with organizers citing concerns about public health. The festival held in the heart of Hollywood was to run from April 16-19, kicking off with a screening of “Back to the Future.” Organizers say it will refund all ticket purchases.

CONCERTS

Taylor Swift has cancelled all remaining concerts and public appearances for 2020. Her North American and Brazil shows will be rescheduled for 2021.
Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents, the world's largest live-entertainment companies, suspended all current tours through March.
One of Britain’s biggest summer music events, the Glastonbury Festival, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers say the festival, due to take place June 24-28, would be postponed until 2021.
A large outdoor music festival in Atlanta has been postponed until fall. Organizers of the Shaky Knees Festival on Wednesday said the event featuring headliners The Black Keys, The Strokes and The Smashing Pumpkins is now set for Oct. 16-18.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame postponed its induction ceremony, which was to feature commemorations of the late artists Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as performances honoring Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex.

Rock band The Who postponed their UK and Ireland tour that was scheduled to start Monday and run through April 8.
Grammy-winning country duo Dan + Shay rescheduled the spring leg of their US arena tour, after they said some of their concerts were being forced to mandatorily postpone.
Blake Shelton postponed the last two weeks of his Friends and Heroes tour.
Billy Joel postponed two shows in March and April for later this year.
Billie Eilish has postponed North American performances for her WHERE DO WE GO tour until further notice. The dates range from her March 13 Philadelphia show to her April 4 St. Louis, Missouri stage.
Reba McEntire postponed her scheduled tour, which was set to kick off next weekend. The tour will now launch July 9 in Huntsville, Alabama and wrap up Aug. 8 in Evansville, Indiana.
Kenny Chesney announced he would be postponing 11 concerts that were part of his Chillaxification tour, starting with the April 18 Arlington, Texas show and ending with the May 28 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio performance. Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion, and Michael Franti & Spearhead were also performing as part of the tour.
Chris Stapleton announced on Twitter that several show dates on his All-American Road Show tour would be postponed, including the March 12 show in Austin, Texas; the March 14 show in Arlington, Texas; the March 20 show in Biloxi, Mississippi and the March 21 performance in Birmingham, Alabama.
Pearl Jam is postponing the North American leg of its Gigaton world tour because of concerns over the new coronavirus. The band announced Monday that March 18 through April 19 shows in Canada and the U.S. will be rescheduled.
Green Day postponed its March tour in Asia, which included stops in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
The K-Pop superstars from BTS canceled a string of tour dates planned for South Korea that were set to take place at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
Carlos Santana canceled concerts because of public health concerns and performance restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Grammy-winning star announced Tuesday that he has canceled the European tour dates of his Miraculous 2020 World Tour.
The Rolling Stones are postponing its 15-city North American tour. The band announced Tuesday that its No Filter Tour, originally expected to kick off in San Diego on May 8, will no longer take place.

Top News Pictures: Easter During the Coronavirus, Severe Storms Sweep South, More

Madonna has canceled the last two stops of her latest tour in France after the country said it was banning events of more than 1,000 people to limit the spread of the coronavirus
Elton John is postponing part of his North American tour due to the coronavirus pandemic. The superstar said Monday that the March 26 through May 2 shows of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour will be rescheduled. Tour performances for May 22 through July 8 remain as scheduled.

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl says he didn’t cancel shows when he broke his leg —and performed from a wheel chair onstage — but he must postpone his band’s tour because of the coronavirus. The rocker wrote Monday on Twitter that “playing a gig with a sock full of broken bones is one thing, but playing a show when YOUR health and safety is in jeopardy is another.” The band has postponed April dates of its Van Tour 2020, and says “information on the May dates will be forthcoming.”

The Zac Brown Band has postponed the spring performances for its The Owl Tour. The first show of the spring leg was set for March 12 in St. Louis. The band asked fans to retain their tickets because they can be used for the new show dates.
Pentatonix, which was previously a cover band, has canceled the European shows of its world tour. The first show was scheduled for March 16 in Poland.
Post Malone's March 13 concert scheduled for Chase Center in San Francisco has been canceled.
The Bell Biv Devoe & Friends concert scheduled for Chase Center in San Francisco has been canceled.

THEME PARKS

Florida's Disney World and California's Disneyland resorts will shutter their gates indefinitely because of the coronavirus, park officials said in an update. The theme parks were originally set to reopen at the end of March. Paris Disneyland officials have still said the park is expected to reopen at the end of the month.
Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando said they will also shut down their parks, including their Universal CityWalk sections, through April 19.

FILM RELEASES

Paramount Pictures announced that "Top Gun Maverick," the sequel to the1986 original, will now open Dec. 23 instead of June 24.
Universal Studios announced that “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which was unable to be finished for its planned summer 2020 release because of the outbreak, is being pushed back a year to July 2021. "Sing 2" will now come out on “Wicked's” original date of Dec. 22, 2021.
Sony Pictures on Monday cleared out its summer calendar due to the coronavirus. “Ghostbuster: Afterlife," which had been scheduled for July 10, will now open March 5 next year. The Jared Leto-starring “Morbius," slated for July 31, will now be released March 19 next year. “Greyhound,” a World War II drama starring Tom Hanks, is now to-be-determined instead of opening June 12.

Warner Bros. delayed the summer release of “Wonder Woman 1984” and removed the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's “In the Heights” from its schedule. “Wonder Woman 1984,” the sequel to 2017's “Wonder Woman,” will now hit theaters on Aug. 14 instead of June 5. “In the Heights" had been slated for June 26 but now isn't dated for release. The studio also took several other films off its release schedule including the “Scooby-Doo” movie “Scoob," previously planned for May 15, and the James Wan thriller “Malignant," previously set for Aug. 14.
Disney is pushing the release of Marvel standalone "Black Widow" amid growing concerns around the coronavirus. The movie was set to hit theaters in North America on May 1.
Disney announced Friday that “Frozen 2” will begin streaming on Disney Plus Sunday, three months earlier than expected. In some countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, the movie will start streaming Tuesday.
Disney announced Thursday it would be delaying the releases of "Mulan," "The New Mutants" and "Antlers." The live-action remake of "Mulan" was set to appear in theaters March 27 in the United States and March 26 globally. A Disney spokesman said Friday “While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time. We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible.”
The release of the James Bond film "No Time To Die" has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about coronavirus. MGM, Universal and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on Twitter Wednesday that the film would be pushed back from its April release to November 2020.
Sony Pictures announced that it's moving "Peter Rabbit 2" to August. "Peter Rabbit 2" had been set to hit United Kingdom and European theaters on March 27, and open in the U.S. on April 3. Instead, Sony said the sequel to 2018's "Peter Rabbit" will launch on Aug. 7. Cinemas have been closed in China for several weeks.
The release of "A Quiet Place 2," originally scheduled for March 20, has been postponed.
Universal Pictures is moving back the release of the ninth "Fast and Furious" film by a year amid the coronavirus outbreak. The studio on Thursday said that “F9” will open on April 2, 2021.

TELEVISION AND STREAMING

Production on CW's "Riverdale" has been suspended because a crew member came in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, Warner Bros Television said in a statement Wednesday. The company did not say when filming for the Vancouver, Canada-based series would resume.
Beginning March 13, NBC's “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyer” will suspend production through their previously planned hiatus, which was originally scheduled for the week of March 23. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and “The Late Show With James Corden” joined CBS's "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah," TBS's "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee," HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” and "The Rachael Ray Show," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "TODAY" in announcing they'd be filming without live audiences.
Production for the 41st season of CBS's "Survivor" has been delayed until May 19, a spokesperson told NBC. The show was set to begin filming later in March in Fiji.
Talk shows "Dr. Phil" and "The Wendy Williams Show" also cited health concerns for why the programs will be taping without live studio audiences until further notice.
"Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” will tape without studio audiences in response to the ongoing virus outbreak. The popular gameshows are the latest television project to shift plans due to the new coronavirus. CBS announced that it was suspending production on “The Amazing Race” in response to the outbreak.
The American Film Institute says it is postponing its 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute honoring Julie Andrews. The organization originally planned to give Andrews its Life Achievement Award on April 25 in Los Angeles. It will be rescheduled for early summer.
Audience-participation heavy “The Price Is Right” suspended production.
Production company Fremantle announced that it would put show tapings on hold “for the short term.” The company also said its shows “America's Got Talent” and “Family Feud” will film without live audiences.
Comedy Central’s “Lights Out With David Spade” and “Tosh.0,” will both tape without crowds.
“One Day at a Time” has been taping without a studio audience.
Several broadcasters at the so-called “upfronts” — at which networks unveil their fall schedules to sell advance commercial time to advertisers — will not feature massive in-person presentations. NBCUniversal, Fox and ViacomCBS said that their presentations, long held in New York City theaters such as Carnegie Hall, will be replaced by online specials and information for the advertising community. WarnerMedia says it is rethinking its presentation and will instead offer "a unique video experience'' on May 13.
The Emmy Awards are adjusting to the health crisis even though nominations aren’t due out until this summer and the ceremony is more than six months away. The early “for your consideration” Q&A panels held to drum up voter interest in shows and their makers as potential nominees will have to go online, the Television Academy said.
Apple's “The Morning Show” was among the many productions put on hiatus.

BROADWAY

New York City's iconic Broadway theaters suspended performances from March 12 until the week of April 13 to abide by the state's restrictions on gathering sizes.
Scott Rudin, the producer behind the Broadway productions of "West Side Story," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Lehman Trilogy," "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "The Book of Mormon," announced all remaining tickets to all performances from March 12 through March 29 of these shows will be offered for $50, beginning Thursday at 12 noon Eastern.

SPORTS

The Grand Prix, which was scheduled for June 28, has been canceled. The French government has banned public gatherings until mid-July and race organizers decided not to try to postpone the race or try holding it without fans.
UFC 249, which was scheduled to air on April 18 on ESPN Plus pay-per-view, has been canceled.
Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II. The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament was scheduled to be played on the club's grass courts on the outskirts of London from June 29 to July 12. Instead, the next edition of the tournament will be June 28 to July 11, 2021.

The Great American River Run, which was scheduled for May 23 in Memphis, Tennessee, has been rescheduled for Oct. 31.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until 2021 after Japan and the International Olympic Committee said the games would go on as planned. The Tokyo Games, slated for 11,000 athletes from more than 200 countries and at a reported cost of $28 billion, had been scheduled to start July 24.
The NCAA has decided to cancel its Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments and its remaining winter and spring tournaments, just a day after announcing tournaments would be held with only essential staff and "limited family attendance."
The MLB suspended spring training games as of March 12. Opening Day of the 2020 season will also be delayed by at least two weeks. And the 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier games in Tucson, Arizona have been postponed indefinitely, the league announced.
The NBA has suspended its season after a player has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The National Hockey League suspended its season Thursday but hopes to resume in the future.
NASCAR has decided to hold races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway tracks without fans.
PGA Tour officials announced Thursday that The Players Tournament in Ponte Verda, Florida was canceled as well as all other events through the Valero Texas Open, which was set to run from April 2 to April 5.
The Ivy League has canceled all spring athletics practices and competitions throughout the rest of the academic year, officials announced Wednesday, citing several school's decisions to move classes online. The league had previously said it would only cancel conference tournaments in both men's and women's basketball in response to the coronavirus crisis. Both tournaments were scheduled to be played in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The NYC Half Marathon and the Rising New York Road Runners youth event scheduled for March 15 have been canceled, the events' organizers announced Tuesday afternoon. The event would have seen 25,000 participants running through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Runners that registered directly with New York Road Runners will be eligible for a full refund of the entry fee or free entry to next year's half marathon.
Major League Soccer announced on March 12 it had suspended its season for 30 days.
USA Hockey has canceled its national championships, which were scheduled to take place in various U.S. locations on March 26. It also canceled its Disabled Hockey Festival, which was scheduled for March 29-29 and April 2-5 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Vans U.S. Open of Surfing scheduled for August 1-19 has been canceled, the events' organizers announced on June 15. "The largest professional action sports competition and festival in the world" will return in 2021.

For a full list of the coronavirus' impact on other sports across the globe, click here.

PARADES

New York City and Chicago announced Wednesday they would be postponing their St. Patrick's Day parades to a "later date" because of the virus. It's the first time the New York City parade has been postponed in its nearly 260-year history. Boston and Philadelphia had previously canceled their parades Tuesday.

AWARDS SHOWS

With Broadway, producers of the annual Tony Awards have postponed this year's celebration of American theater. The show was originally scheduled for June 7 but the virus forced all 41 Broadway theaters to go dark and caused turmoil in the Tony schedule. The awards show will be “rescheduled at a later date,” according to producers.
The 47th Daytime Emmy Awards have been postponed until further notice. The ceremony was scheduled for June 12 in Pasadena, California. The National Academy's Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards and Sports Emmy Awards were postponed earlier this week.
The Billboard Music Awards ceremony, which was scheduled for April 29 in Las Vegas, has been postponed, the organizers announced. A new date has not yet been announced.
The Kids’ Choice Awards, scheduled for March 22 in Los Angeles, has been postponed
GLAAD, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer media advocacy organization, canceled its GLAAD Media Awards in New York on March 19.

OTHER

The Pamplona Bull-Running Festival, held every year in Pamplona, Spain, has been canceled for 2020. It's the first time since Spain's civil war that the event has been canceled.
Dubai's Expo 2020 world's fair, which was scheduled to run from Oct. 2020 until April 2021, is being delayed until Oct. 1, 2021.
The 2020 Detroit Auto Show was canceled after the venue was chosen to be converted into a hospital for coronavirus patients, CNBC reported. It was set to run from June 9 through June 20. It was the first time the event was scheduled for the summer instead of the winter to attract more visitors.
The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Tennessee has been rescheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. It was originally set to run from May 14 through May 16.
The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was canceled for the first time in 64 years. The 65th contest was set to play out May 12, 14 and 16 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Houston; New Orleans; Salt Lake City; Montreal; Boston; Tel Aviv; Meloneras, Spain; Munich; Costa Mesa, California; Denver; and the Australian cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth were all canceled.
In Las Vegas, the Penn & Teller comedy/magic show and magician David Copperfield's show were also canceled.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints told its congregation Thursday that it would be suspending church gatherings worldwide, including worship services and sacrament meetings, until further notice.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, will be canceled about halfway through its run as a precaution against the new coronavirus, city and county officials said Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Opera has canceled performances and rehearsals through March 31 because of the coronavirus.
The New York Auto Show was postponed Tuesday for the first time since World War II, CNBC reported. The show was set to start in early April, but it will now run Aug. 28 through Sept. 6. The event generally attracts more than 1 million visitors.
CinemaCon, which was set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning on March 30, has been canceled.
Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards is being postponed. The show was scheduled for March 22 in Los Angeles.
The State of California asked that any gatherings of more than 250 people be postponed or canceled early Thursday morning. The announcement will likely affect many events across the state.
New York has banned gatherings of more than 500 people.
Ace Comic Con, which was scheduled for March 20-22 in Boston, has been canceled.