MAY | THE ANATOMY OF…
August
September
October
Key
Event postponed
Event cancelled
Soundcity
25-27 Sep new
Coachella
October 9-18
Government event
ban deadline
Electric Daisy
Carnival
(Vegas)
2-4 October
Primavera
Sound
August 26-30
Burning Man
30 August - 7
September
(going virtual
instead)
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Ireland
Bonnaroo
September 24-27
Movement (Detroit)
11-13 September
This is Tomorrow
(Newcastle)
14-16 August
2020’s festival season at a glance
Covid-19 has forced the cancellation or postponement
of a large number of festivals around the world. Access
assesses the damage
The festival industry has been
hit hard by Covid-19, as so
Bournemouth 7s
28-30 August
Clisson, France
The organisers of heavy metal
festival Hellfest took their
frustrations with their insurance
company public, after they were
forced to cancel and were still
refused a payout. In a Facebook
statement, they delivered a
pointed “F*CK YOU” to insurers
Albingia, which claimed Hellfest’s
pandemic insurance was the
“wrong kind” of pandemic
insurance.
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury, England
The world’s most famous music
festival was among the first major
casualties of Covid-19, after a
period of ‘will-they-wont-they’
back in March. Organisers said
that even if events returned in
June, they would not have the
three month lead time needed for
the huge operation of building
the festival site.
It bears mentioning that this
many others have. Many events list is not comprehensive, and
have either been forced to there are likely to be many
close, or have pushed forwards more new cancellations/
into the later parts of 2020. postponements. As of mid-
Our cover feature this month
Hellfest
holding out hope?
April 2020, this infographic
(p22-25) examines the nature breaks down all of the major UK
of the ‘festival season’, and festivals that have cancelled
the challenges involved in or postponed, as well as
extending it. But before we a selection of the biggest
get to that, it would help for us international events that have
to take stock of what 2020’s done the same.
festival season looks like.
Organisers around the world
Who has cancelled? Who has are walking a delicate tightrope.
postponed? Who cut their We wish them all the best of
losses early, and who is still luck during these difficult times.
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