Glastonbury 2020 has joined the list of casualties from the coronavirus, after it was announced earlier this week that the annual music festival has become the latest major event to be cancelled due to the global pandemic. There had been high anticipation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the five-day celebration of contemporary performing arts – traditionally held in Pilton, Somerset – but organisers have made the sensible call to follow the example of such as the European Championships in men’s football, the Eurovision Song Contest and the Grand National by canceling due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Fans realistic but devastated at the news
The devastating news to many music lovers was made less than a week after the first full wave of acts for this year’s event had been confirmed, sparking a wave of reflection from those who had been eagerly looking forward to the festivities but could understand the sensible decision taken. On Twitter, the usually effervescent stalwart presenter from previous Glastonbury events, Jo Whiley echoed the sentiments of others by indicating that it was “so devastatingly disappointing for so many people on different levels” but added a message of hope that “next year Glastonbury is going to be off the scale.”
Official Glastonbury announcement
Making the news official via their own Twitter account, Glastonbury organisers said that they were “so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020,” adding that “tickets for this year will roll over to next year.“ With hundreds of thousands of revelers expected to descend on the venue, plus all the back-up crews it became their only “viable option.”
Major stars scheduled to headline
The event had been expected to run from 24th to 28th June, with headline acts such as former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, American megastar Taylor Swift and influential rapper, not to mention multi- Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar scheduled to appear.
Soul singing veteran Diana Ross had also been lined up for the popular Sunday legends slot.
Cancellations of major events
Glastonbury joins the growing list of cancellations of events – big and small - amid the disruption and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak. As the world continues to find a way to delay its spread and return the world’s population back to some normality, sensible choices to cancel sporting events such as the Euros and the Boat Race, and showbiz celebrations like the planned 65th edition of Eurovision in the Netherlands have been taken. Even the planned release of the latest James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, “No Time To Die” has been delayed from April to November as mass social gatherings have been severely curtailed.
