Glastonbury Cancels 50th Anniversary Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Glastonbury, one of the world’s largest festivals has cancelled its 50th anniversary edition as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow.

As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus outbreak with strict social distancing measures and the shuttering of non-essential businesses, many festivals and events around the world have been forced to cancel or postpone. Now, along with other massive festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo, one of the most prized to attend has followed suit, Glastonbury.

“Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option,” read the statement posted to their social media accounts and website earlier this morning.

Michael and Emily also explain the impact that this has on the community as a whole, stating: “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 for the festival’s charity partners, suppliers, traders, local landowners, and our community.”

Tickets to Glastonbury have been some of the most difficult to obtain, so the festival organizers are allowing for the deposit on this year’s edition to roll it over to 2021 automatically with a guarantee to purchase. Refunds will be available until September of this year by heading to See Tickets.

Just last week the festival had announced the lineup for its 50th anniversary that was set to bring a diverse range of artists to the stage. These artists included Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, Fatboy Slim, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and countless others.

Stay tuned for more information about other cancellations and postponements from around the world as we continue to follow the impact coronavirus has on the festival season this year.

Read the statement from Glastonbury:

We are so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily pic.twitter.com/ox8kcQ0HoB

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 18, 2020

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