Glastonbury Festival Cancels 50th Anniversary Edition

Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus. The famed U.K. bash was set to celebrate 50 years this June with a five-day spectacle featuring music superstars and widespread entertainment attractions.

The unexpected decision to pull the plug on the event came just days after the festival’s first lineup wave was announced. Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Diana Ross headlined the bill, with Lana Del Rey, Camila Cabello, Thom Yorke, Dua Lipa and more also slated to appear.

“We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival,” organizers Michael and Emily Eavis shared in a statement. “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. 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.”

The pair mentioned that despite their hopes for an improvement in the U.K.’s coronavirus situation by the festival’s start date, they are unable to carry out the event with thousands of crew members congregating in the lead-up. Citing new government safety measures, the Eavis’ said cancelling the event was the “only viable option.” They also assured ticket holders that they have guaranteed attendance at next year’s event when it takes over Worthy Farm in Somerset, England.

“We were so looking forward to welcoming you all for our 50th anniversary with a line-up full of fantastic artists and performers that we were incredibly proud to have booked. Again, we’re so sorry to that this decision has been made. It was not through choice. But we look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you,” the statement concluded.

Glastonbury Festival is the latest international gathering to be called off in the wake of the global pandemic. Lollapalooza postponed its installments in Argentina and Chile, while top U.S. draws like Coachella and Stagecoach have also been pushed back. Other gatherings, like SXSW and Ultra Music Festival, have been cancelled altogether.

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