Britain’s Glastonbury festival has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael and Emily Eavis, who run the annual music event at Worthy Farm in Somerset, confirmed in a statement shared on social media on Wednesday morning that the festival had been scrapped due to the global health crisis.
“We are so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020,” they tweeted. “Tickets for this year will roll over to next year.
Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily.”
“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,” they continued in the statement.
The duo offered their “sincere apologies” to the 135,000 ticketholders affected by the news, and offered the possibility of holding over their deposit in a bid to secure tickets for next year’s event. Otherwise, refunds will available until September.
Closing the statement, they made reference to the “severe financial implications” the decision will have on “crew… charity partners, suppliers, traders, local landowners and our community,” adding: “We look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send out love and support to you all.”
Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and Kendrick Lamar were set to headline the event, which was slated to take place in June. Dua Lipa, Pet Shop Boys, Sinead O’Connor, Manic Street Preachers, Happy Mondays, Lana Del Rey, and Mabel were also named as performers, with Diana Ross schedule to perform in the Sunday Legends Slot.
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