2020 is canceled: All the events not happening because of coronavirus
The Coronavirus has tragically killed over 400 thousand people worldwide, but it’s not just taking down people. In an effort to control the spread of the virus, many major conventions, festivals, and events have been cancelled for 2020 to keep people at home.
While that’s great to help flatten the curve, it’s also hard for these companies that spend all their time planning events and use it as their main revenue, as well as the artists that perform/show off their work at said events. But safety is the name of the game, so all the events below have been called off for 2020.
Concert tours
Numerous musicians had 2020 tours that had to be pushed back or ended early because of the Coronavirus. Billie Eilish, Jimmy Eat World, Madonna, Tove Lo, Cher, Michael Buble, Blake Shelton, and more were in the middle of their tours when the virus hit its height, and therefore had to postpone the remainder of their shows.
Other artists like Dan + Shay, The Who, Pearl Jam, Pentatonix, Kesha, and Camila Cabello had tours announced for the spring/summer that they pushed back out of safety. However, no word yet if the rescheduled dates at the end of 2020 can still happen or not.
A few celebrities were set to start their Las Vegas residencies, such as Kelly Clarkson and The Jonas Brothers, but both were cancelled thanks to the Coronavirus. No word yet if either will be able to set up a new group of dates at their respective venues.
Stage productions
With Broadway having been closed since March, and no plans to reopen until September at the earliest, COVID-19 has taken victims in the form of Broadway shows. Shows like Hangman, Frozen, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? couldn’t afford to keep paying staff during the shutdown and had to close.
Other shows, like Beetlejuice, had preset closure dates that with the extension of the shutdown, means their last performance was earlier than anticipated.
Music festivals
Ultra Music Festival, Firefly Music Festival, Hangout Fest, Burning Man, Summerfest, the Governors Ball, Reading and Leeds, even freaking Coachella have all been canned for the 2020 season. Sorry festival heads, but you’re going to have to bank those tickets and glow sticks for the 2021 season.
Considering Riot Fest already dropped their bomb lineup, expect some good shows from your favorite festivals next year.
Film festivals
Many film festivals have swapped over to a digital format to keep the indie film scene alive during these difficult times. But not all festivals were able to change in time. Of course, the iconic South by Southwest was canned back in March, disappointing fans. Thankfully, most of the films set to make their premiere at the festival have been released on streaming or for purchase.
Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, the TCM Classic Film Festival, Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, and Montclair Film Festival have all opted to just cancel this year and start again next year. Even CinemaCon, the big convention for movie theater owners, got pushed to 2021. No surprise though.
Fan conventions
Not even the drag queens can defeat Miss Rona, as DragCon LA was cancelled for 2020. Most other conventions have set up an online version for fans, but some like VidCon, Wonder-Con, E3, and the London Book Fair aren’t able to set up online services. Then again, you’re going to VidCon and E3 to meet people and see things you see online, so that makes sense. (Update: VidCon has recently announced an online version of some of their panels and creator talks.)
Award shows
The iHeartRadio Music Awards, MTV Movie and TV Awards, Daytime Emmy awards, Billboard Music Awards, and the Razzie Awards all cancelled their 2020 award ceremonies. But that’s not the news you care about.
The 2020 film award circuit has been pushed back from late 2020/early 2021 to the first three months of 2021. With the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars, being pushed back until April 24th next year. Most other award shows, including the BAFTAs, are following suit.
Sporting events
While most major sporting franchises are finding ways to resume their season safely, some major events have been completely pushed back until next year. Most notably, the 2020 Summer Olympics are now the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Also returning in 2021 are the Little League World Series, Wimbledon, the European Soccer Championships, the NCAA March Madness tournaments, the New York City Half Marathon, and the Boston Marathon. With some experts claiming that it is indeed safe to play football during COVID-19, we will see these games played without a live audience
Other events
Whether you were excited about your local city’s pride events, the Gathering of the Juggalos, the annual Star Wars celebration, or the Met Gala, we’re all a bit disappointed. But we all have to remember that these events were cancelled to protect us all. Until we flatten the curve completely, we’re not going to be safe.
