Major Events That Are Being Affected By Coronavirus
Falling stocks, heated quarrels over oil, and that pesky coronavirus have many people distraught, included annual events and other highly anticipated segments. As more time passes, news outlets inform the public that various exhibitions won't happen anymore, or they're getting postponed. Quarantining and canceling events is a strategic move to help save lives by making sure hospitals don't get flooded with patients. "Even if you don't reduce total cases, slowing down the rate of an epidemic can be critical," wrote Carl Bergstrom, a biologist at the University of Washington. Here are the public events that are postponed, canceled, or closed due to the fast=spreading virus.
Canceled: SXSW
The 34th annual SXSW (South by Southwest) festival canceled their event after lead partners withdrew from participating. After Facebook, Apple, Twitter, and TikTok bowed out, the tech, film, and music fest saw the need to cancel this year's big event.
The original dates of operation were March 13 to 22, and they had a ton of events scheduled to take place. SXSW hosts things across the city of Austin in bars, party spaces, and the convention center. This was one of the first major public outings to bailout thanks to coronavirus.
Postponed: No Time To Die
A conclusion five years in the making will have to wait a bit longer before the public gets to view it. The release date for the 2020 007 film, No Time to Die, was April 10 in the U.S. but now comes out November 25.
Sources say this could cost the franchise somewhere upwards of $30 million, but it's tough to leave the house and go see a movie when you're worried you're going to catch something.
Closed To The Public: Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony
The traditional event in Greece that sets the Olympics season in motion will not allow the public to view it in 2020. The Greek Olympic committee further outlined rules for other regions that the torch passes through in hopes of keeping everyone safe.
"We urge the mayors of the cities through which the Olympic Flame will pass or stay overnight to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Organization," Greece's Olympic committee said.
Canceled: London Book Fair
One of the world's largest international literary events was closed down over coronavirus fears, but not right away. The delay in cancellation angered many by putting people at health risk and placing financial strains on the publishers.
"We have been following UK government guidelines and working with the rolling advice from the public health authorities and other organizations, and so it is with reluctance that we have taken the decision not to go ahead with this year's event," said organizer Reed Exhibitions. There were 25,000 publishers, agents, and authors slated to appear.
Postponed: Coachella
We hate to break it to all the music lovers in the world who enjoy dressing up in creative outfits. Also to those who enjoy standing in the desert to hear some of the best music acts perform, but Coachella isn't happening when it usually does anymore.
The growing concerns over having too many people in one area managed to disrupt one of the leading music festivals. The reported new dates are the weekends of October 9 and October 16.
Postponed: Mission: Impossible 7 Filming
Tom Cruise is always up for the challenge, which is why the production company signed on to make a seventh installment for the franchise. They were prepared to begin filming in Venice, Italy, but they had to move it back.
The local government put an end to all public gatherings, so it would be difficult for them to start things anyway. We're sure the anticipation has Cruise fired up to step into this role once more, but he has a little more time to prepare for it.
Canceled: Google I/O
Google won't have the usual grand announcement of their upcoming products in 2020 after the Google I/O got canceled. The event takes place at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, and they had it scheduled for May 12-14.
The good news is that Google said those that purchased a ticket will receive a full refund by March 13. Also, if you registered, you'll automatically get the option of buying a ticket for the 2021 conference.
Canceled: Tokyo Cherry Blossom Festival
Every year, the Tokyo cherry blossom festivals attract millions of people. That changes in 2020 when no one will show up due to the cancellation of the iconic event held in Japan.
Meguro River has one of the most stunning views, lined with 1,200 cherry trees, the incredible pictures you're able to take there is one of the reasons, so many people visit it. This is the first time since 2011 the event isn't going to run.
Canceled: Ultra Music Festival
The annual Ultra Music Festival in Miami attracts tons of avid music fans each year. They fly in from all over to share their love for electronic music artists, but won't be able to do that again until 2021.
"It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that The City of Miami has issued an official directive requiring that the 22nd edition of Ultra Music Festival, originally scheduled for March 20, 21 and 22, 2020 will be postponed to March 26, 27 and 28, 2021," Team Ultra posted on their website.
Closed To The Public: Giorgio Armani's Fashion Week Show
Just as Paris and Milan's fashion week shows kicked off, many quickly shut down. One of the most well-known designers, Giorgio Armani, opted to keep this year's show closed to the public and a wide audience.
"The show will be shown behind closed doors, due to the recent developments of coronavirus in Italy, live-streamed in front of an empty teatro [theater] on the Armani website, therefore please do not attend the show this afternoon," the website's statement read. At least the models still fulfilled their duties.
Canceled: World Athletics Indoor Championships
For an athlete, getting an injury right before the championships and being unable to compete might be one of the worst things that can occur. Being in the best shape of your life, ready to compete for a title, only to find out the championships won't happen also hurts pretty bad.
Initially slated for March 13-15, 2020, the committee chose to push it back a year to March 2021. Hopefully, the same athletes won't have anything happen to them between now and then that prevents them from trying to claim the crown.
Canceled: All Of The Dalai Lama's Upcoming Speaking Events
Not many are in as high demand as the Dalai Lama. He speaks around the world to help spread his knowledge and wisdom to those willing to listen. Now, he's going to take a break thanks to the outbreak.
"His Holiness will not be doing any public engagements for now until further notice due to coronavirus," the Dalai Lama's secretary, Tenzing Taklha, told CNN. The Dalai Lama's physician and consultants advised against his Holiness from participating in public engagements.
Canceled: The Game Developers Conference (GDC)
Canceling the GDC hits home for all those who love video games. The decision to cancel it was pretty much inevitable, once Microsoft, Sony, and other big-name companies dropped out of it.
"After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we've made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March," the organizers said in a statement. Instead, some talks will still be available for streaming, but there's no word on when the new date is.
Canceled: The Mobile Congress
Held in Barcelona, the Mobile World Congress is the most prominent smartphone conference of the year. Many of the world's biggest firms show face, but they won't be able to in 2020, which some experts label as a "nightmare".
"With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has canceled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event," CEO John Hoffman reported.
Canceled: Facebook F8 Developers Conference
Another conference bites the dust. The annual developer conference for Facebook won't happen on May 5th and 6th as initially slated. Instead, Facebook will replace the primary engagement with "locally hosted events, videos, and live-streamed content."
Leave it up to Mark Zuckerberg to try and still keep those interested informed, but the streaming and videos won't be the same. An excerpt from the cancelation full statement reads: "We've made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person component of F8 this year, in order to prioritize the health and safety of our developer partners."
Canceled: European Press Launch For Disney+
Disney+ received a lot of hype leading up to the American release of the streaming service. Not too long after, plenty of backlashes followed for various reasons, including not having every Disney movie available yet. Disney+ waited to come out in Europe, but now the press launch is over.
Scheduled for March 5, the event was to "celebrate the European launch of Disney+" with "exclusive" presentations, but it didn't happen. What a blow for the European Disney fans.
Canceled: Chinese Grand Prix
Unfortunately, canceling the Chines Grand Prix shouldn't be much of a surprise when you think about where it takes place. Scheduled for April 17-19, racers won't be able to race the fast track anymore.
"The Chinese Grand Prix has always been a very important part of the F1 calendar and the fans are always incredible," Formula 1 said in a statement. "We all look forward to racing in China as soon as possible and wish everyone in the country the best during this difficult time."
Canceled: Quibi Launch Party
What is Quibi? Well, many believe it will disrupt streaming television in a major way by offering short-form TV and movies all for your phone. Even Steven Spielberg announced he wanted to produce and write a series for it. It isn't available until April 2020, the same month as the launch party that got canceled.
"While we look forward to launching the Quibi app on April 6, we have decided to cancel our pre-launch event party out of an abundance of caution as we continue to monitor COVID-19," a Quibi spokesperson told Variety.
Postponed: First Leg Of Pearl Jam Tour
The Seattle-based grunge band, Pearl Jam, didn't seem too thrilled when they had to announce the postponement of the first leg of their tour. They took to Twitter for an extended message detailing their decision.
One of their tweets read: "It's been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better. So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives."
Canceled: BNP Paribas Open
One of the major tennis tournaments won't happen. The BNP Paribas Open scheduled to go on in Indian Wells, California, is another major California event to get canceled in the Coachella Valley.
Rafael Nadal took to Twitter to make an announcement saying: "You probably all heard the news. Indian Wells canceled. We are here and still deciding what's next. So sad for all that is happening around the world with this situation. Hopefully soon solutions from the authorities. Stay all well and safe."
Canceled: E3
On March 11, 2020, it was officially announced that E3 would be canceled. The conference, also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is one of the biggest video game gatherings of the year.
In a statement, event organizers explained the decision, "After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry—our fans, our employees, our exhibitors, and our longtime E3 partners—we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles."
