The Isle of Wight Festival and Download Festival are the latest major events to announce their cancellation as the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe.
They follow Glastonbury, which announced it would be pulling the plug on its 50th anniversary celebrations last week.
In a statement, the Isle of Wight team said their decision was “unavoidable” and vowed to return “stronger than ever” in 2021.
Download 2020 will not be going ahead, read the full statement here. pic.twitter.com/zyMSk91iMu
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) March 26, 2020
Isle of Wight Festival 2020 Statement pic.twitter.com/sn8lTj5NHp
— Isle of Wight Fest (@IsleOfWightFest) March 26, 2020
Download, meanwhile, vowed to assemble an “amazing line-up for 2021”.
The 2020 edition of Isle of Wight Festival was set to be headlined by the likes of Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers, and Duran Duran.
Download was set to welcome headline sets from KISS, Iron Maiden and System Of A Down.
Confirming refund plans for ticket-holders, the Isle of Wight team wrote: “We are working closely with our ticketing partners at the moment and they will be touch very soon to process your refund, or, if you prefer, you can retain your ticket and carry it over to next year.”
Both festivals urged fans to wait five days until contacting their point of purchase.
Other festivals to be cancelled include SXSW, while Coachella has been postponed as the disease continues to wreak havoc across the globe.
SXSW was due to kick off in Texas last weekend, while Coachella was set to take place next month. It has now been moved to October.
