A difficult week for the live music world wraps up with a slew of festival cancellations in the United Kingdom. Newport's Isle of Wight, Manchester’s Parklife, London’s All Points East and Lovebox, and Donington Park's Download all have cancelled their 2020 festivals due to the coronavirus crisis.
These five fests join Glastonbury and the Great Escape, which both had already canceled for 2020 as British officials placed strict limits on public gatherings and the country goes on lockdown.
All Points East Festival, which was set to be held over two weekends in late May with headliners including Tame Impala and Massive Attack, released a statement that said: “Alongside the now enforced period of social isolation, the government has stated that emergency services will not be able to support major events. Furthermore, the projected strain that is being placed on the NHS will push this institution and its staff to levels never seen before. It is therefore inconceivable for us to add any distraction to these organisations.”
As Britain's premiere rock and metal fest, Download Festival was scheduled for June 12-14 at Donington Park with KISS, System Of A Down, Iron Maiden as headliners. Parklife was set for June 13 and 14 in Manchester's Heaton Park and Lovebox was set for June 12-14, both with headliners including Tyler, The Creator, Khalid and Robyn. All of these festivals have shut down shop for 2020.
Isle of Wight 2020, which was slated for June 11-14 with headliners such as Duran Duran, Lionel Ritchie and Snow Patrol, also had to cancel this year's festival.
“This decision hasn't been taken lightly and we have tried our hardest to make it work, but it was unavoidable given the current status,” organizers said in a statement. “The safety of our audience, artists, crew and the Isle of Wight community is paramount and we appreciate your patience whilst we’ve been working through this unprecedented situation.”
Sharing the sentiment of many canncelled festivals this year, Isle of Wight's statement promises to “back stronger than ever in 2021.”
