It has become increasingly clear that 2020, or at least a significant chunk of it, will be forever known as a giant blip on the world’s calendar of public events. Since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic, day after day new major events have been cancelled, from music and film festivals to awards shows, and popular venues and institutions have indefinitely closed their doors.
Below is a running list of the more high-profile events that have been cancelled, postponed, or otherwise affected due to COVID-19.
This is a developing list. Check back regularly for updates.
Cultural Events
The Met Gala – indefinitely postponed, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art temporarily closed
New York’s Broadway & London’s West End – both theater collectives have shut down for a minimum of one month, until at least April 12 and indefinitely, respectively
Eurovision Song Contest – cancelled, with submissions released online
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – postponed its HBO broadcast until November 7
St. Patrick’s Day Parades – cancelled by Irish government, as well as in Boston and New York City
White House Correspondents’ Dinner – delayed until a currently unknown date
TED 2020 – postponed from April 20-24 to June 20-26, with possible plans to host entirely online
Walt Disney World & Disneyland – closed at least through the end of March in Orlando, Anaheim, and Paris
Google Cloud Next ’20 – pivoted to digital conference format; originally set for April 6-8
RuPaul’s DragCon – cancelled until 2021
Cherry Blossom Festival (Japan) – cancelled in Tokyo
Fashion Weeks – cancelled in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Milan, amongst other cities
E3 – the world’s largest video game conference was cancelled; originally set for June
Game Developers Conference (GDC) – cancelled, with tentative plans for summer rescheduling
Music Festivals & Conferences
Coachella – postponed until the weekends of October 9 and October 16
Boston Calling – cancelled on March 31
Governor’s Ball – cancelled on March 26 with the opportunity to transfer already purchased tickets to next year’s events
Ultra Music Festival – “suspended” until next year’s event (effectively cancelled)
Glastonbury (UK) – cancelled on March 17; originally set for June 4-8
Tomorrowland (France) – cancelled; originally meant to run from March 14-21 at the Alpe d’hues Grand Domaine Ski Resort
South By Southwest (SXSW) – cancelled on March 6
Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival – postponed until September 24-27
Additionally, a plethora of popular performers have postponed or cancelled their world tours. Artists who have taken this step include The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Camila Cabello, Madonna, BTS, Kelly Clarkson, Jonas Brothers, Green Day, Khalid, Ciara, and worldwide circus company Cirque de Soleil. Major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Grand Ole Opry have also momentarily shut their doors.
Major Album Releases
Chromatica (Lady Gaga) – delayed until later in 2020
To Die For (Sam Smith) – delayed until June 5
Women in Music Pt. III (HAIM) – delayed until an undetermined date
The Rainbow Children & One Nite Alone (Prince) – vinyl reissues delayed until May 29
Untitled Kelahni album – the singer’s anticipated sophomore album has been indefinitely delayed
Awards Shows
Tony Awards – postponed on CBS to “a later date” said to be announced following the reopening of Broadway
Country Music Awards – postponed until September 16
Daytime Emmy Awards – postponed to a later date; originally June 12-14
Webby Awards – Rescheduled on March 19; pivoting to an “online celebration”
iHeartRadio Music Awards – rescheduled from March 29 until a later date
Kid’s Choice Awards – postponed to an unknown later date; originally March 22
The Razzies – ceremony cancelled and replaced with online video and winners announcement; originally March 14
Peabody Awards – postponed to a later date; originally June 18
Television & Film
Cannes Film Festival – originally tentatively rescheduled to late July, but later cancelled
Tribeca Film Festival – cancelled by CEO Jane Rosenthal
Ebertfest – rescheduled until April 2021 (effectively cancelled)
CinemaCon – cancelled until 2021
TCM Classic Film Festival – cancelled until 2021
Hot Docs – postponed until “a later date”
Additionally, the majority of film releases by major players Disney, Warner Bros, Netflix, Paramount and Universal, amongst others, have been either indefinitely postponed, rescheduled, or pivoted to digital release. Read more about the impact coronavirus has had on the film industry here.
Sports
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics – postponed on March 24 until Summer 2021
WrestleMania – still scheduled to stream on April 5, but with no live audience
Kentucky Derby – postponed until September 5
NASCAR – suspended all upcoming races through May 3
French Open – postponed until September 20 – October 4
MLB – cancelled all Spring games, season opening day postponed by “at least two weeks”
NHL – “paused” due to shared facilities with the NBA
NBA – “temporarily suspended” after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19
NYC Half-Marathon – cancelled until 2021
Boston Marathon – postponed until September 14