Coronavirus: Glastonbury and Eurovision latest events to be cancelled

Glastonbury Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest have both been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

A 50th anniversary Glastonbury event was being planned, and the cancellation is being described as a “terrible blow to our incredible crew and volunteers”.

The music festival’s organisers have sent their “sincere apologies” to the 135,000 who had paid deposits.

They also announced 2020 will now be an “enforced fallow year” for the world-famous event.

Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar were due to headline at the festival, with Diana Ross due to play the Sunday legend’s slot.

Other music acts on the line-up include Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello and Pet Shop Boys, as well as rockers Sam Fender, Blossoms, Haim and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

The event’s co-founder Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily said in a Twitter post: “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.”

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker.

Part of a full statement accompanying the post reads: “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.

“We very much hope that the situation in the UK will have improved enormously by the end of June.

“But even if it has, we are no longer able to spend the next three months with thousands of crew on the farm, helping us with the enormous job of building the infrastructure and attractions needed to welcome more than 200,000 people to a temporary city in these fields.”

Glastonbury, which draws around 200,000 people to farmland in Somerset, was due to take place from 24 to 28 June.

It comes as the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 has also been cancelled due to the disease outbreak.

Organisers said in a statement: “It is with deep regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam.

“Over the past few weeks we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead.

“However, the uncertainty created by the spread of COVID-19 throughout Europe – and the restrictions put in place by the governments of the participating broadcasters and the Dutch authorities – means the European Broadcasting Union has taken the difficult decision that it is impossible to continue with the live event as planned.”

The cancellations follow updated guidance from the government calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres and to avoid all non-essential contacts and travel.

The Who, Madonna and Miley Cyrus have cancelled live dates due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while festivals such as Coachella and Stagecoach in the US have been postponed or called off.

:: Listen to Backstage on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Radio 1’s Big Weekend is among the other big music events called off by organisers in the UK.

The festival, which had Biffy Clyro, Harry Styles and Cabello on the line-up, was due to take place in Dundee from 22 to 24 May.

In Hollywood, Disney announced it was shutting down production on many of its live-action films, including The Little Mermaid.

The studio has also delayed the release of a blockbuster remake of Mulan, which had been due to arrive in UK cinemas on 27 March.

Other film releases postponed include A Quiet Place II and Fast And Furious 9.

The release of the upcoming James Bond movie No Time To Die has been pushed back to November, having originally been set to arrive in April.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Glastonbury and Eurovision latest events to be cancelled