The major entertainment events cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus

The entertainment industry has been thrown into turmoil by the coronavirus pandemic, with major events either postponed or cancelled completely.

Health officials around the world have advised against mass gatherings in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Doubts now surround big events set to take place in the coming months, including the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May, June’s Glastonbury Festival in Somerset and San-Diego Comic-Con in July.

Here is a list of the major events affected by the outbreak:

Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals

The festivals were supposed to take place in the California desert in April, but have been pushed back to October.

Coachella, one of the world’s biggest music festivals, attracted about 250,000 attendees over its two weekends last year.

Country music festival Stagecoach draws more than 70,000 country music fans.

Both Coachella and Stagecoach share the same organiser.

South By Southwest

The annual film, music and technology festival had been set to take place from March 16- to 22 in Austin, Texas, but was cancelled on March 6.

A string of major companies had already pulled out, including Facebook, Twitter, Apple and Amazon, when Austin mayor Steve Adler implemented an emergency order.

He said: “I have issued an order that effectively cancels South By Southwest this year.”

No Time To Die

One of the biggest film releases of the year was postponed from April to November when producers pushed back James Bond flick No Time To Die.

MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said they arrived at the decision after “careful consideration” and “thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace”.

Electronic Entertainment Expo

Widely known as E3, the annual event draws the biggest names in video games to downtown Los Angeles each year.

It was set to take place in June but a spokesman said the team was “devastated” to cancel the event.

They added: “This decision was not reached lightly, but it is the right one for the health and safety of all involved.”

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards

The ceremony was due to take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California, while Chance the Rapper was on hosting duties.

However, Nickelodeon has postponed the event in “consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority”.

A new date will be announced “in the future,” the network said.

GLAAD Media Awards

The LGBTQ awards show was set to take place in New York next week but was cancelled on Wednesday.

Prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy and veteran actress Judith Light were among those being honoured.

The organisation said it would provide an update “in coming weeks” on the Los Angeles awards show scheduled for April, where Taylor Swift is due to receive the vanguard award.

CinemaCon

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced the decision to cancel this year’s event shortly after Donald Trump unveiled the suspension on travel between the US and continental Europe.

NATO said the ban, added to travel restrictions elsewhere, meant a “significant portion of the worldwide motion picture community is not able to attend”.

The annual gathering of  film theatre owners from around the world was scheduled to run from March 30 to April 2 in Las Vegas.

PaleyFest 2020

The major TV festival in Los Angeles was due to host shows including HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, time-travelling drama Outlander and Star Trek: Picard later this month.

However, organisers said out of an “abundance of concern” it was being postponed.

A spokesman added: “We are exploring options to reschedule the festival and all ticket purchases will be honoured for the new dates.”

AFI tribute to Dame Julie Andrews

The revered actress, 84, had been set to receive a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute on April 25.

However, it has been postponed, with a new date to be announced.

Pearl Jam tour

The Seattle-based rock band postponed the North American leg of their tour due to the virus outbreak.

In a statement, the group said it was with “deep frustration and regret” that they were pushing back the Gigaton 2020 tour.

The first date was set for March 18 in Toronto, with 13 other cities scheduled across Canada and the US. The European leg, beginning in Germany in June, is listed on Pearl Jam’s website as still going ahead.

London Book Fair

The literary event was cancelled earlier this month.

It was due to take place at Olympia London from March 10 to 12 before organisers pulled the plug.

Reed Exhibitions said the London Book Fair will return next year, “better than ever”.