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Glastonbury 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus: ‘This was our only option’

Anyone who has bought a ticket for this year’s Glastonbury will be given the opportunity to roll it over to next year’s event

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 17 March 2020 18:55 GMT
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The Cure perform Friday I'm In Love at Glastonbury

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Glastonbury 2020 has been cancelled due to coronavirus.

The festival had been due to celebrate its 50th anniversary with headline acts Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift.

A statement from Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis read: “We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the festival.

“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.”

The statement continued by explaining it was not feasible to spend the next three months onsite working with the thousands of crew members needed to put together stages and other festival infrastructure.

Anyone who has bought a ticket for this year’s Glastonbury will be given the opportunity to roll it over to next year’s event. Others will be able to have their £50 deposit refunded.

“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,” the statement continued.

“We were so looking forward to welcoming you all for our 50th anniversary with a line-up full of fantastic artists and performers we were incredibly proud to have booked.

“Again, we’re sorry that this decision has been made. It was not through choice. But we look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you.”

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