The coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China, has disrupted lives worldwide. It’s been close to five months since the first positive case, but one can say that the disastrous effect on the global economy and lives is yet to blow up to its full proportion. The situation is likely to worsen with major sporting and entertainment events not happening as per schedule. Cancelation of these events is an attempt to flatten the curve and stop the spread of the virus. Here are some of the significant global events, which the organizers had to cancel. The list is growing by the day, making this the most “uneventful” year!
Festivals That Were Called Off
Music festivals draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. However, this year the scene is different as the organizers are canceling most of them. The prestigious Cannes Film Festivals held in France, where the world of fashion and movies subtly collide, has been canceled and will likely take place in the last week of June or early July 2020.
Over in the USA, the South by Southwest festival was canceled by the city of Austin, Texas. This was a result of major sponsors like Netflix, Warner Bros., Facebook, and Apple, among others, rolling back their sponsorship to host the multimedia festival. The famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are following suit too. The events might now happen from October 9 to October 18, 2020. Ticket holders can still attend Coachella with the same tickets, while those unable to attend will get a refund. Netflix’s inaugural comedy festival, Netflix Is A Joke Fest, which was to feature the likes of Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, and Lily Tomlin is called off too!
Sporting Events That Were Canceled
Numerous sporting events happen throughout a typical year, but this is no ordinary year. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics was to begin on July 24, 2020. However, it will now start from July 23, 2021, instead.
Major football leagues around the world are postponing their events. The English Premier League has been stopped mid-season with Liverpool poised to lift the EPL trophy. This is for the first time in the club’s history since the league’s inception in 1992. The association has been indefinitely postponed but is likely to restart on an unspecified date later this year. Just like the EPL, the NBA has canceled the remainder of its 2019-2020 season after a player tested positive for COVID-19. Moving on to other sports, the 2020 Wimbledon Championships, the most awaited Tennis Grand Slam of the year, is not happening as per schedule. There’s no update on the new date yet!
Conventions That Were Canceled
Major conventions from the world of fashion and technology, too, joined the growing list of canceled events. As confirmed by Vogue, The New York Met Gala, a melting pot of the weird and wonderful of fashion, has been postponed. However, there’s no new date yet. So, we can only hope that the update comes in soon!
Speaking of fashion, RuPaul’s DragCon is not happening too. It is thus forcing all the drag enthusiasts to “sashay” away from the annual Los Angeles drag convention. The show will return in 2021. The 2020 Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, is also not happening. However, the organizers are trying to host an online expo at the earliest. The ACE ComicCon Northeast, scheduled to be held in Boston in mid-March, has been postponed. This announcement came after the state of Massachusetts declared a national health emergency. While the organizers will reschedule the show to a later date, we need to wait and watch whether Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Tessa Thompson, and Jake Gyllenhaal can still make it to the event.
Award Shows That Were Canceled
Originally meant to take place at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the 74th Annual Tony Awards are not happening this year. The sad thing is there’s no official announcement on the new date yet.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony has also been deferred, just like the Tony Awards. But there’s no news on when they might happen. The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards, too, met the same fate as all global events. However, this event has a new date, and, i.e., September 16, 2020. Other award ceremonies that the organizers had to cancel are The Razzies, the 2020 CFDA Awards, and the Peabody Awards, among countless others.
All these events together employ millions of people. It thus leaves all of them without a source of income. The global economic impact of the pandemic is beyond what we can fathom.