Coronavirus: Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona postponed as Spain battles pandemic

Organisers said the festival would go ahead, despite news that coronavirus-related deaths in Spain have surged in the past 24 hours

Organisers of Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona have pushed the event back to the end of August, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

An announcement posted from the festival’s official Twitter account showed the new dates of 26-30 August.

In a longer statement linked to the Twitter post, organisers wrote: “There are things that only happen once in a lifetime. The current global Covid-19 health crisis is, unfortunately, one of them. But it won’t be the only one. The spirit of solidarity and collective response of society in the face of this emergency will live on for a long time, and will allow us to embrace exceptional situations and overcome the challenge… and to literally embrace each other once it is over.

“Faced with this constantly changing scenario, the restrictions imposed by the authorities on the celebration of public shows and on the free movement of people (making the participation of the announced artists difficult and in many cases impossible) and in coordination with the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and the Sant Adrià de Besòs City Council, we are forced to postpone the upcoming edition of Primavera Sound Barcelona for reasons of force majeure known to us all.”

“Our absolute priority has always been to guarantee the safety of our audience, artists and all the people involved in the festival,” the statement continued.

“For this reason, given the exceptional nature of the situation in which we find ourselves, Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 will take place from 26th to 30th August. We feel obliged and responsible to contribute insofar as we can to the survival of the live music scene, whose role will be key to the return to normality after this absolutely unprecedented situation that has never been faced before by the cultural sector and all its agents: artists and their teams, agencies, promoters, venues, festivals, stage builders, technical and production teams, bar staff, cleaning and security staff, and in general the thousands of people involved in the sector.

“We thank all of them for their perseverance and contribution.”

Tickets already purchased for Primavera Sound Barcelona 2020 will remain valid for the new dates. Organisers said more information is forthcoming for fans who have already booked accommodation for the previous dates.

“Let’s all face this together. We will get through this together,” the statement concluded. “And we will celebrate our 20th anniversary together. We are waiting for you in the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona at the end of August. Primavera in summer, for once in a lifetime.”

Among the acts scheduled to perform at Primavera Sound are Beck, Kacey Musgraves, Iggy Pop, Brockhampton and Young Thug.

The announcement comes amid news that coronavirus-related deaths in Spain surged overnight by 832, raising the total to 5,690, according to the health ministry.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases rose to 72,248 from 64,059 on Friday 27 March.

Figures from the Spanish Ministry of Health show over 40,000 people have been hospitalised and 4,575 people have been admitted to intensive care. 12,285 people have reportedly recovered.

Spain is the fourth country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, following the US, Italy and China. However, only Italy has a higher death toll within 24 hours than Spain.