Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are planning to descend upon Austin, TX in less than two weeks for the annual SXSW music, film, and interactive festival, running March 13-22. But with coronavirus spreading internationally, the music industry is bracing for the worst, with recent tour date cancellations from Green Day, BTS, New Order, and others likely just the tip of the iceberg.
SXSW represents a whole new level of infectious possibility, with festival goers from all corners of the globe attending. In 2019, over 417,00 people attended the festival, with sixty-two different countries represented. Local Austin residents are taking the threat seriously, with a new Change.org petition circulating that has already been signed by over 9,000 people, asking the festival to “think about the people that could die because of this.”
Just this week, SXSW addressed concerns, issuing the below statement that the event is preceding, albeit with caution.
“The SXSW 2020 event is proceeding as planned. Safety is a top priority for SXSW, and we work closely with local, state, and federal agencies year-round to plan for a safe event. Where travel has been impacted, especially in the case of China, we are seeing a handful of cancellations. However, we are on par with years past in regard to registrants who are unable to attend. We are increasing our efforts to prevent the spread of disease per Austin Public Health’s recommendations. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as necessary.”
Announcing @trent_reznor, Atticus Ross, @st_vincent, @Carrie_Rachel, @JanelleMonae, @thumbelulu & more for #SXSW 2020!
— SXSW (@sxsw) February 11, 2020
