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Here’s Your Comprehensive Guide to All the Events Canceled Because of the Coronavirus

23 minute read
Updated: | Originally published:

With an estimated 90,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted nearly every industry globally in recent weeks. Now, with the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, there’s an increased effort to prevent the spread of the virus, which has meant the cancellation of many events, including sporting games, concerts, festivals, and movies.

While some of the cultural events, like the annual Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, have been rescheduled for later dates or postponed until further notice, others, like March Madness, the much-anticipated NCAA tournament, have been canceled entirely because of health concerns.

Read on for a list of everything that’s been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic below.

Sports

2020 Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed until 2021 following weeks of speculation over whether the games would go ahead as scheduled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agreed to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s one-year postponement proposal, the IOC announced on March 30 that the games will be held on July 23 to August 8, 2021, but will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The new date for the Paralympic Games will be August 24 to September 5, 2021. The new date was confirmed during a call between the International Olympics Committee, the Tokyo 2020 organizers, the Japanese government, and the International Paralympic Committee.

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” the IOC said in a statement.

This is the first time in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics that the games have been postponed. They were canceled entirely in 1916 and then in both 1940 and 1944 due to World War I and World War II, respectively.

French Open

The clay-court Grand Slam tournament has been postponed from May 24, and is now set to take place from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4 the French Tennis Federation announced Tuesday.

The Kentucky Derby

The 146th Kentucky Derby will be postponed until Saturday, Sept. 5, according to WDRB.

March Madness: NCAA Tournament, League Tournaments

March Madness was cancelled in light of concerns about the coronavirus. In an official statement on March 11, the NCAA canceled all remaining championships for the year; earlier, the organization had planned on having no fans attend games.

READ MORE: Mapping the Spread of the Coronavirus Outbreak Around the U.S. and the World

The move follows the cancellation of the major conference tournaments earlier that day, including the Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Pac-12, American and Atlantic 10 tourneys; the Ivy League cancelled their conference tournament on March 10.

Some universities opted out of participating entirely when concerns were raised; Duke University has suspended all athletic activity, while frontrunner University of Kansas has cancelled all athletic travel indefinitely and suspended all home and away games.

NBA

The NBA became the first major sports league in the U.S. to suspend the playing season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19; Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the virus.

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement on March 12. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

NHL

Sam Hess, Operations with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, skates alone prior Detroit Red Wings playing against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on March 12 in Washington, DC.Patrick Smith—Getty Images

The NHL suspended its season on March 12, following the confirmation that an NBA player tested positive for COVID-19.

“In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight’s games,” National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus — and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point — it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.”

MLB

The MLB announced in a statement on March 12 that all spring training games are suspended and that 2020 opening day will be delayed by at least two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

PGA Tour

Augusta National Golf Club officials announced Friday that the Masters, golf’s first major championship of the year and an event on the PGA Tour schedule, will be postponed from its original dates of April 9-12.

The announcement came in the wake of the PGA cancelling the remainder of the Players Championship as well as the Valspar Championship, WGC-Dell Match Play Championship and Valero Texas Open.

“Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision,” Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, said in a statement. “We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”

In its 86-year history, the Masters has never been played outside of March or April.

MLS

The MLS has suspended its season for 30 days, at which time the league will reevaluate how to best move forward.

“Our clubs were united today in the decision to temporarily suspend our season – based on the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and other public health authorities, and in the best interest of our fans, players, officials and employees,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “We’d like to thank our fans for their continued support during this challenging time.”

FA

The English Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League has suspended all matches until at least the weekend of April 3-5 after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. Games set for those dates will reportedly be subject to “conditions at the time.”

“The Premier League, FA, EFL and WSL have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England,” the Premier League said in a statement.

England’s National League, however, has announced that it will allow matches in its three divisions to proceed as planned this weekend.

“The National League will keep the operation of its competition under constant and diligent review, and will remain in compliance with government advice at all times,” the league said in a statement.

UEFA

In a statement on Friday, the UEFA announced that it has postponed all Champions League and Europa League club competition matches through next week.

“In the light of developments due to the spread of Covid-19 in Europe and related decisions made by different governments, all UEFA club competitions matches scheduled next week are postponed,” the European governing body said in the statement.

The quarter-final draws for the Champions League and Europa League, which were scheduled for March 20, have also been postponed.

Boston Marathon

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, and other state and local officials held a press conference on March 13 to announce that the Boston Marathon, which was scheduled for April 20, has been postponed and rescheduled for Sept. 14, the Boston Globe reports.

This is the first time in the marathon’s 124-year history that the race has been delayed.

Movies

Wonder Woman 1984

Original U.S. Release Date: June 26

New U.S. Release Date: August 14

No Time to Die

Original U.S. Release Date: April 10

New U.S. Release Date: November 25

The latest James Bond film will mark Daniel Craig’s last appearance as 007 and was originally set to hit theaters first in the U.K. and then the U.S. this spring. But Bond fans will have to wait for Craig’s big finale: No Time to Die was the first major film to delay its spring release. It is set to premiere around the Wednesday before Thanksgiving instead.

A Quiet Place Part II

Original U.S. Release Date: March 20

Read More: Here Are All the Movies Coming to Streaming Early as Coronavirus Closes Theaters

New U.S. Release Date: TBD

Director John Krasinski’s followup to his horror hit, A Quiet Place starring his wife Emily Blunt, has been delayed indefinitely. Krasinski wrote in an Instagram post: “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together…I’m gonna wait to release the film til we CAN see it all together!”

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Fast and Furious 9

Original U.S. Release Date: May 23

New U.S. Release Date: April 2, 2021

The latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise will be delayed nearly a year in order to avoid a coronavirus box office slump. “Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together,” Universal said in a statement, nodding at the series’ international appeal. Fast and Furious 9 has been teasing the return of a character who is long presumed deceased, so it’s likely that the move is also designed to stop spoilers.

The Lovebirds

Original U.S. Release Date: April 3

New U.S. release date: TBD

The rom com is not over — it’s just delayed. Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani’s rom-com-turned-caper was supposed to release in April, but Paramount Pictures is delaying its release until a time yet to be determined. Nanjiani has been one of the most active celebrities on Twitter calling for measures to protect people’s safety during the coronavirus outbreak.

Peter Rabbit 2

Original U.S. Release Date: April 3

New U.S. Release Date: August 7

Like No Time to Die, Peter Rabbit 2 was supposed to release in the U.K. and then the United States. Both premieres will be delayed until the end of the summer when studios are hoping people will finally be able to venture to the movie theater again.

Mulan

Original U.S. Release Date: March 27

New U.S. Release Date: TBD

After already rescheduling the premiere in China, Disney decided to push back the release date for one of its biggest films of 2020, a live action version of Mulan. The movie will be a big international play for Disney when it is finally released.

New Mutants

Original U.S. Release Date: April 3, 2020

New U.S. Release Date: TBD

New Mutants has had a rocky road to movie theaters. The film was made by 20th Century Fox before Fox merged with Disney and was initially supposed to premiere in April of 2018. It’s been pushed back several times since then, due to reshoots, scheduling issues and then the merger. There was even talk of debuting the movie on Disney+ or Hulu, which looks to be a possibility now that people will be spending time at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Antlers

Original U.S. Release Date: April 17, 2020

New U.S. Release Date: TBD

Antlers, a Guillermo del Toro-produced horror film picture that Disney also acquired during the Disney-Fox merger, was also delayed indefinitely.

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Original U.S. Release Date: July 3

New U.S. Release Date: TBD

Television

The Bachelorette

Warner Bros. announced Friday that it is postponing production on season 16 of The Bachelorette, which was set to begin filming at the Bachelor mansion in Agoura Hills, Calif., on Friday night.

“With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Television group said in a statement. “There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority. During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based.”

It’s still unclear whether this delay will affect the season’s premiere date, which is currently scheduled for Monday, May 18 at 8 p.m. EST.

Survivor

CBS has delayed production on season 41 of Survivor, which was set to begin filming in Fiji on March 24, until May.

“Due to the growing short-term uncertainty surrounding the global spread of COVID-19 and the corresponding desire for the continued well-being of our amazing crew, we have decided to push back our start date for Survivor season 41,” executive producer and host Jeff Probst wrote in a letter to crew members on Wednesday. “Though Fiji has no reported cases and is beautifully remote, our crew numbers over 400 and are flying in from over 20 different countries, creating a need for more time to fully analyze and create our new production safety plan. This situation is unprecedented and we are learning more information every day. It is out of concern for the well-being of all of you that we have taken this step.”

The season 41 delay means that filming for season 42, which was slated to start May 24, will also be pushed back.

Theater

Broadway

West 44th Street in Manhattan, which is home to many Broadway shows in New York, on March 12Vincent Tullo—The New York Times/Redux

New York governor Andrew Cuomo called for a shutdown of all Broadway productions beginning the evening of March 12 as part of an effort to restrict all gatherings of more than 500 people, excluding schools and hospitals, to curb the coronavirus epidemic. The decision came after Broadway producer Scott Rudin began offering discount tickets to shows despite concerns. All Broadway shows will remain suspended through April 12.

A number of other artistic institutions also announced closures on Thursday, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and Carnegie Hall.

Cultural Events

St. Patrick’s Day Parades

St. Patrick’s Day parades have been cancelled or postponed in cities across the United States, including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and Seattle. Ireland has cancelled all parades nationwide.

“While I know the parade organizers did not make this decision lightly, public health experts agree that one of the most effective ways to contain the spread of the virus is to limit large gatherings and close contacts,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “And I applaud the parade’s leadership for working cooperatively with us.”

Coachella and Stagecoach

On March 11, the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals were postponed from April until October. Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals in the country, with more than 100,000 attendees per day; this year boasted a lineup that included Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine. Stagecoach is a country music festival featuring Carrie Underwood. Goldenvoice, the organizer of both Southern California festivals, said that refunds would be made available for ticket buyers unable to come in October.

Glenn Miller, the mayor of Indio, Calif., said that the two festivals bring an economic impact between $250 and 400 million to the Coachella Valley each year. “It didn’t come as a surprise, but it is a major shock when you’re talking about an event of that magnitude,” Miller told TIME about the postponements. “I’m worried about our residents and our small mom and pop businesses.”

SXSW

Austin’s sprawling music, film and media festival was cancelled just a week before its start date in March, after many participating companies like Twitter and Facebook dropped out preemptively. SXSW then laid off a third of its staff, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “We are planning for the future and this was a necessary, but heartbreaking, step,” the company said in a statement.

The festival’s cancellation prompted a response from a number of filmmakers who were planning to premiere the films at the festival. “To have labored on a documentary for three years and then find out the festival was cancelled on the same day you’ve finished — it was just devastating,” the filmmaker David Alvarado told Variety.

Tribeca Film Festival

Following NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ban on gatherings of 500 people or more beginning on March 13 in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the Tribeca Film Festival announced that it would be postponing its event.

GLAAD Media Awards

The 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives, will no longer be held on March 19 in New York City.

“Given GLAAD’s long-standing commitment to the safety of our members, sponsors, and guests, the GLAAD Media Awards will no longer take place on March 19th in New York City,” Rich Ferraro, chief communications officer and an executive producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, said in a statement. “The team at GLAAD has been in communication with the City of New York and is following the latest recommendations from Governor Cuomo.”

Per Variety, as of Wednesday, the Media Awards in Los Angeles will still take place on April 16.

E3

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was cancelled due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The organizer, Entertainment Software Association (ESA), announced their decision on March 11 in a statement: “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. Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today. Our team will be reaching out directly to exhibitors and attendees with information about providing full refunds.”

BeautyCon

Beautycon chose to postpone their LA event by rescheduling it for December of this year, according to a statement released on March 12. Their New York event remains scheduled for October and November, while their Tokyo event is postponed until 2021.

WonderCon

In response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recommendation that any public gathering of more than 250 people be postponed or canceled at least through the end of March, Comic-Con International postponed WonderCon, its annual comic book, science fiction, and film convention held in Anaheim, in a Thursday statement.

“To protect public health and slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19, the California Department of Public Health announced a recommendation that gatherings and events of more than 250 people should either be postponed or canceled. Comic-Con (organizer of WonderCon) will abide by this recommendation,” the statement read. “Therefore WonderCon Anaheim, scheduled for April 10-12, 2020 in Anaheim, California, will be postponed until a later date. We will begin processing refunds in the coming days.”

RuPaul’s DragCon

RuPaul’s DragCon in Los Angeles, an annual drag convention for fans of RuPaul’s Frag Race that was set for May 1-3, was cancelled on Tuesday via a statement released on DragCon’s website.

“DragCon’s first priority is always the health and safety of everyone involved, and we’ve been actively tracking the situation around the coronavirus,” the statement reads. “The situation in California (and the world) is rapidly changing, with new information coming out every day. Unfortunately, there’s no way for anyone to know what the situation will be like in May. Due to that uncertainty, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided that it’s in the best interest of the talent, staff, and attendees to cancel RuPaul’s DragCon L.A. 2020.”

DragCon L.A. will return in 2021, “better than ever.”

Book Tours and Festivals

Multiple book festivals have been canceled or postponed as the scare around the spread of the coronavirus has grown, including the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and the London Book Fair. The National Book Critics Circle Award Ceremony is also canceled, with winners being announced online and on social media, while its gala has been rescheduled for the fall.

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day

This year’s Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day, during which more than 1,200 museums across the United States would have opened their doors to the public for free, will no longer take place on April 4.

“As a public health precaution, the Smithsonian is postponing or canceling all public events, programming and gatherings through May 3. We appreciate your understanding,” the Smithsonian said in a statement.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Thursday that it has canceled all of its concerts at Boston’s Symphony Hall and Linde Centre for Music through March 28.

“The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s decision to cancel all Symphony Hall and Linde Center performances over the next two weeks had to be made out of our utmost concern for the safety and well-being of the BSO community at large,” Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Mark Volpe said in a statement.

The Queen’s Diary

Buckingham Palace announced Friday that Queen Elizabeth II is postponing engagements, including her forthcoming visits to Cheshire and Camden, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“As a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, changes are being made to The Queen’s diary commitments in the coming weeks,” the statement read.

However, the Queen will continue to hold audiences, including those with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as usual.

The announcement came after Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall postponed their spring tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Jordan.

Cannes Film Festival 2020

The Cannes Film Festival, which was originally set to take place from May 12 to 23, has been canceled “due to the health crisis and the development of the French and international situation,” the Festival de Cannes announced via Twitter on March 19.

Met Gala 2020

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala, better known as the Met Gala or Met Ball, is postponed “indefinitely,” Vogue magazine announced on Monday. The annual gala was set to take place on May 4, and the Met reportedly announced that events through May 15 will be canceled or postponed, according to Vogue.

In an essay, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour explained that the Met’s new exhibition, About Time, will have a preview in the magazine’s May issue. “Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will be postponed to a later date,” Wintour wrote. “In the meantime, we will give you a preview of this extraordinary exhibition in our forthcoming May issue.”

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards

The Billboard Music Awards, originally scheduled for April 29, will be rescheduled for a later date, according to a March 17 tweet from the broadcast.

TIME 100 2020

TIME announced on March 17 that our own annual 2020 TIME 100 Summit and Gala would be postponed, along with the published list, until September. In place of the planned April 16 publication date, TIME will publish a special report on COVID-19 featuring insights from the TIME 100 community to help our audiences navigate this new reality.

Concerts

Live Nation and AEG

Live Nation Entertainment and AEG Presents, two of the largest power players in the concert industry, have announced that they’re postponing all current tours starting this weekend. According to Billboard, Live Nation plans to re-evaluate the situation at the beginning of April with the goal of resuming touring in May or June.

Tours affected include Ricky Martin, Billie Eilish, Celine Dion, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band, Cher, Kiss, Post Malone, Tool, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chris Stapleton and more.

Per Variety, Live Nation, AEG and leading talent agencies CAA, WME, Paradigm, and UTA have released a statement announcing the formation of a “global task force to drive strategic support and unified direction ensuring precautionary efforts and ongoing protocol are in the best interest of artists, fans, staff, and the global community.”

The task force will be spearheaded by executives from all participating companies.

“At this time, we collectively recommend large scale events through the end of March be postponed,” the statement reads. “We continue to support that small scale events follow guidance set by their local government officials. We feel fortunate to have the flexibility to reschedule concerts, festivals, and live events as needed, and look forward to connecting fans with all their favorite artists and live entertainment soon.”

Artists

Bob Dylan canceled all upcoming concerts in Japan, the tour organizer said on Friday. Madonna cancelled shows in Paris; Miley Cyrus cancelled shows in Australia. Cher’s entire North American tour was postponed until the fall. Pearl Jam’s North American tour was postponed indefinitely. Zac Brown Band, Carlos Santana and Pentatonix all cancelled legs of their tours. Mariah Carey cancelled a trip to Hawaii.

Celine Dion’s postponed the remainder of her North American tour. Ricky Martin postponed his tour until after March, and Tove Lo postponed her European concerts until September. Billie Eilish announced on March 12 that her spring tour would be postponed until further notice. The decision affected 11 shows, and the artist said on Twitter that all tickets would be honored for their rescheduled dates.

BTS has postponed their world tour, announced on March 26.

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