Coronavirus Pandemic: See Which Tours and Festivals Have Been Canceled
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has turned from a concern into an official pandemic, per the World Health Organization, and with that declaration comes a slew of changes to the music tour and festival calendar. Artists are canceling international tour dates and postponing treks within the United States, and numerous festivals have been either canceled or pushed back due to the spread of the virus.
Per Time, the WHO officially elevated the coronavirus spread to pandemic status on March 11. Over 167,000 cases of the disease and 6,440 deaths because of it have been reported globally as of March 15. In the United States, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 3,487 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 68 deaths as of March 16.
“This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said during a media briefing. "So every sector and every individual must be involved in the fights."
For the country music community, that means postponing or canceling shows and festivals. April's Stagecoach festival in Indio, Calif., has been postponed, while March's gigantic music and tech conference and festival SXSW has been canceled, and will not take place for the first time in 34 years. Live Nation, AEG and others have come together to pause tours until the end of March, so expect the list of canceled and postponed events to keep growing.
Keep reading for a list of country music tours and festivals that have been affected by the spread of coronavirus. Taste of Country will keep this list updated should additional events be affected.
Coronavirus Pandemic: Which Tours and Festivals Are Canceled (and Not)?